Margrethe Aanestad and Jørund Aase Falkenberg
Kunstgalleriet, Stavanger
8.-30.6.12
Installations, drawings
I just love it when I get surprised by an exhibition, and I love it when galleries take chances. At this one I get both. Kunstgalleriet usually have interesting exhibitions, but mostly art hung on the walls, easy to sell. It is quite brave of a commercial gallery to give carte blance to artists like these to go on exploring the room, even changing it. The work resulted in, yes, some works on the walls, but maybe not what you would expect. And there are some surprises there as well, some obvious, some more hidden.
Opening ceremony
Arnfinn Hanssen from Kunstgalleriet, and the artists Margrethe Aanestad and Jørund Aase Falkenberg
Jørund Aase Falkenberg: Utkikkspost
What craves the attention at first is the large lookout-platform installation partly covering the staircase to the basement. From there you would supposedly get a great overview of all the exhibition. If you dare climb it. Only the kids did, using it to slide down on. When I climbed it, I discovered that it really did now work as you would expect. I expected to get an overview, but instead I had to struggle to stand, as there was far from enough height to stand upright. I had to bend down, feeling uncomfortable and awkward. In addition I was not sure whether I was really allowed to stand there. It is not usual to step on artwork. What both sounded and seemed like a marvellous spot, is in reality a spot of uncomfort, but you do not know until you are there yourself.
Jørund Aase Falkenberg: Rød tråd
(I was not able to photograph it)
The most obscured surprise was something as simple as about a meter of red wollen thread hanging from a nail on the wall. Maybe not so impressive. But as it was hanging right above the aircon, it was floating in the air, constantly moving, never falling down. I could easily have missed it, but as I did not, I feel privileged.
Another surprise was tiny mirror-tape triangles on the window. You would actually have to look away from the exhibition space to spot them.
Jørund Aase Falkenberg: Uten tittel (S1500 N) II
The artist also had paintings on the wall. But not the regular type of painting, well actually, this is actually very regular painting. The surface has been covered with the exact same structure and paint as the wall it is hanging on, like a piece cut out from the wall. The exact same materials are used as on the wall, but this piece is considered art, the wall behind it is not. Or could it be?
Jørund Aase Falkenberg: Stille er eit krigsbrotverk + Stille seier meir enn ord
(Silence is a war crime + Silence says more than words)
Two identical works in material, but with different titles. The only way to decide which is which is by reading the exhibition guide. They are both framed regular A4 papers. The artist of paintings or drawings decides what to put on the paper and what to call it. Thus the artist try to influence our impression of the work. This can also be done only by the visual impressing, leaving the title empty. Here it is the opposite, the visuals are blank, but the title is the clue. Both sonic and visual silence can be strongly positive or strongly negative. Not saying anything, whether in words or pictures, can be violence, a bliss, or something in between.
Margrethe Aanestad: La det
What I have seen of Margrethe Aanestad's work before have been explorations of space and geometry in strict forms of detailed, delicate pen stripes covering areas on paper. Here she is not only exploring in two dimensions, she works in three dimensions. Her colorful pen drawings are there, but also geometrical forms created by materials and shadows.
work by Margrethe Aanestad and Jørund Aase Falkenberg
The "picture wall" contains works from both artists, the geometrical drawings in various shapes by Aanestad, and "wall pieces" by Falkenberg. And a perfect circle, computer generated, as a contrast, but also as a statement. A punctuation both literally and figuratively.
