Yang Zhu

Yang Zhu
4.-21.10.12
Galleri Sult, Stavanger
Golden female portraits

Sometimes an exhibition is just right. On that dull, grey, rainy and cold October day, beauty and gold was what I needed. The wonderful portraits, the intricate folds of the material, the golden shine, the overdose of beauty and melancholia of Yang Zhu was what brought joy and light to the Stavanger autumn day.

RBL-Rebel

Rebel
Graffiti
The streets of Stavanger 2012

I claim that no inhabitant in Stavanger has not seen the works of this writer/crew: Rebel/RBL. The tags and the pieces are literally everywhere in town. Considered vandalism by most people, it is still impressive the massive amount of works sprayed on to walls, signs, electricityboxes, and all other kinds of urban surfaces. Often rivalled or collaborated by Mask/MSK, Rebel/RBL is so far the ruler of the streets.  I could post hundreds of photos, but I limit myself to two from Støperigata:

Streetart in Stavanger

Streetart
the streets of Stavanger
October 2012

I recently discovered these artworks in the streets of East Stavanger


Harry Gelb


Harry Gelb


Yatzy

Øyeblikkets betingelser

Øyeblikkets betingelser
(The conditions of the moment)
Yto Barrada, Toril Johannessen, LeRoy Stevens, Talleiv Taro Manum, Britta Marakatt-Labba
31.8.-21.10.12
Hordaland Kunstsenter, Bergen

This is a charming exhibition focusing on the moment there and then, and how you may experience it.


Yto Barrada: Beau Geste 
In this video action is taken to save a tree. In this neighbourhood trees are seriously hurt, to rot and fall down, to make place for building. The group in this video heals the wound, straighten the tree up, and give conditions for it to live. But knowing that this will only last for moments until the landowner arrives.


Toril Johannessen: Sirkulær, lineær, kubisk

The lines on the arrow is not there, they are just projected from the boxes opposite.


LeRoy Stevens: From the Bird's Mouth 
Through a magnifying glass small coins are melted together to form a ball. Each coin almost worthless, but together they may be a markable sum. But not anymore, the sun power has reduced them to pure metal scrap. Or a sculpture.


Talleiv Taro Manum: from The Instamatic 126 Supersize Series

You are supposed to sit down and contemplate this photo, which seems just like a dark space. But after some time the outlines of a forest scene emerges.


Britta Marakatt-Labba: Livlinorna + Islossning
(The lifelines + Ice melting)
Interesting themes from Sami culture


Britta Marakatt-Labba: Färden
(The journey)

Material Information

Material Information
various artists, curated by Juan A. Gaitán
30.9.-2.12.12
Permanenten, Bergen
Interventions in the Arts&Crafts museum

The exhibition of arts&crafts is crazied up by interventions in the museum space. The contributing artists are either requiring space or using the space available, with basis in the existing exhibition.


Museum entrance


Hadley & Maxwell: How to kill a Buddha (and other Received Ideas)

- mould of the sculptures from the museum's Chinese collection


Hilde Angel Danielsen: They hang high ... and are probably sour anyway
- roof skeleton hung upside down in the museum staircase


Siri Brekke: Material Inside Information
- nowadays the registration of items are rather formal, stating origin, year of production, material. Old registrations had colorful descriptions of the figures, like: Kneeling girl lifting her smallflowered apron up as a basket-like container. Over the right arm a large multi-colored sun-hat. On the phlint guilded mussel-ornaments.
The artist has written these descriptions onto the glass.

 
Amalia Pica: Unintentional Monuments
- items used as antennas displayed as art sculptures

Nabolag

Nabolag
21.9.-7.10.12
Danmarksplass-Solheimsviken, Bergen
Curated by Tag Team Studio & Espen Johansen
Interventions in public space

This is a gift to a part of Bergen with a bad reputation. The area between Solheimsviken and Danmarksplass is a former shipyard area, now transformation area. The living conditions have been relatively bad, being on the shadow side of the mountain, with the moist, cold air from the fjord, and with the pollution from the industry and traffic. But at the same time very central, housing several creative environments, and now the scene of rapid development through quayside residential buildings. These works are placed in this environment, offering surprises, and giving a new way of experiencing the area.


Muskelpust: Treehouse


Kari Storø: 5 av 290 grunner


Kari Storø: 5 av 290 grunner


Kari Storø: 5 av 290 grunner


Arne Rygg: Rød bil
- a car filled with grass and trees


Ytter
- web connection to a webcam in another artist collective in the area, connecting the creative environments

65 paintings at Bergen Kjøtt

65 paintings
Bergen Kjøtt
6.-14.10.12
Sales exhibition of paintings by artists from or connected to the studio collective Bergen Kjøtt


Bergen Kjøtt

For one weekend 65 paintings were put for sale in the exhibition floor of Bergen Kjøtt (Bergen Meat), a former industrial and office building, now an artist studio collective. The paintings are not named, and you could see both the front and rear sides. A solid dose of a lot of great art. Even if I recognize some of the artist, I give you the same experience I got, by naming no artists.

Babel

Babel
Bergen kunstmuseum
From the museum's collection

If you spent enough time of the marvellous "Real Life Stories" at Bergen Art Museum, it is well worth having a look into the exhibition on the other side of the staircase in the Stenersen building. Here is the exhibition "Babel" showing great works from the museum's collection. My personal favourites:


Leonhard Rickhard: Figure seen from back in nocturnal interior II


Jon Gundersen: Vater


Hilmar Fredriksen: Solitude


Bjørn Bjarre: Abstract Feeling # 73 (Face Erection II)


Silje Heggren: Let's go to Sitges


Jon Arne Mogstad: Southern Comfort


Pushwagner: Self portrait


Michael Elmgreen & Ingar Dragset: Boy Scout


Steinar Jakobsen: Five doctors from Det norske Radiumhospital and five undertakers from T.S. Jacobsen begravelsesbyrå