21.11.-19.12.13
Kunstgalleriet, Stavanger
Installations, paintings, collages
Again Morten Viskum flirts with death. But in contrast to earlier works, when he has been painting with a anonymous dead man's hand, now he has quite obvious hints to who this dead person may be. The pop art on the walls, the stuffed chimpanzee, the clothes and coke can, and not least the displayed interview with Michael Jackson lead most of us to a conclusion to who may be hidden under the blanket. But then again we know that can not really be the case. The title "I'm crazy about Liza, we get on the phone and just gossip, gossip, gossip" is a quote from the interview featured on the wall. Somehow I feel this is more a mocking than a hommage to the diseased. Which leads to the question: why is it morally acceptable to mock a living person, but not a dead one?
Our icons are dead, whether it is Michael Jackson, Mao or Marilyn. Or Andy Warhol, the author of the bloodstained artworks. The only one left sitting upright is the chimpanzee Bubbles. Even he seems a bit stuffed. We are probably left on our own.
I'm crazy about Liza, we get on the phone and just gossip, gossip, gossip
I'm crazy about Liza, we get on the phone and just gossip, gossip, gossip
Olav
The dead hand is also present in these works, Viskum has been painting the usual patterns with it, but now on a mannequin. But the strokes of a dead hand can not bring life to a plastic person, not even with lively colors.
Istanbul I-V
And the dead hand is also present in the monocrome, or almost monocrome paintings, obviously painted with the same hand.
Monochrome
I hate Haugar
Upstairs are prints of collages containing a dead baby rat in the pose of Munch's Scream, in front of famous artworks. This one is especially interesting, as the background picture is not Munch's Scream but Andy Warhol's version of it. This points to an exhibition at Haugar art centre in Vestfold called "Munch by others", where artwork by both Viskum and Warhol were featured.
I hate art
The other collages are less specific, stating the general "I hate art". Leaving it up to the public to decide if the hater is the artist or the dead baby rat. Featured are artwork by Mondrian, Liechtenstein, Matisse and others. There may be quite a lot of people that would be indifferent to these artworks, but it would be difficult to find someone who really hates them. The baby rat may have a purpose to ruin the artworks, but the idea may also be to make them better. At least they do not make me hate art.
