Erik Sæter Jørgensen: All Watched Over

All Watched Over
Erik Sæter Jørgensen
10.8.-7.9.13
Reed Projects Gallery, Stavanger
Photo documentation/installation

What do you want to see on the public walls in your hometown? Commercial posters, NGO slogans, graffiti or just blank walls? Erik Sæter Jørgensen presents some of the options. Usually the choice is not made by you, it is something you just need to accept, but in this exhibition the artist is the curator of the walls.

We get the giant shining letters of a candy shop, numerous walls decorated by the local graffiti writers Rebel and Mask, a giant banner promoting vegan lifestyle, ads for a pornmovie shop, some random blank wall, and a silver buff (silver is the most effective color to cover what is underneath, well known by both graffiti writers and the companies painting over it (buffing the tags)).



It is obvious what is Erik Sæter Jørgensen’s choice. He has apparently spent most time making the giant banner promoting veganism and straight edge lifestyle. And the number of photos documenting walls improved by Rebel and Mask truly dominate these gallery walls.

 

Also I would prefer colorful walls made by local artists over ugly commercials by dubious companies. But then again, what would I prefer between a badly made tag and some smart commercials for a product I like? It really does not matter, I am not the one to choose what will be on the walls. But I am able to appreciate what I like and pretending to ignore what I do not like.  

Streetart in Stavanger

Streetart
Found in Stavanger November 2012

 This is what I found in the streets lately:


Faceless boy


Construction and wrestler


These sardine can labels - "iddis" - are put up several places. Not by far as many as the "Rebel"-tags, though


This park under the city bridge is becoming a living gallery, with the power box houses by Evol, the figures by David Choe, the tag of HowNosm and more, and the colorful pieces by Mask and Rebel.

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
Stavanger

There is almost a year between each Nuart festival, when the streets are freshed up with international level urban art. Sometimes art pops up in town, outside, but maybe inspired by the festival. I hope what I just found are the first artworks of many to appear this autumn.


If you are creative, you might even find joy in an overpainted wall. Somehow the grey paint ran out for these guys, and soon afterwards a graffiti crew called "Ellipse Klinikken" was there to leave their mark.


This butterfly will hopefully survive the winter. It enjoys the company of last year's Nuart visitor Dan Witz' eyeballs, and the mark of the by far most productive writer in town at the moment, RBL/Rebel


This beautiful lady will have hard times during the winter rain, but she is so lovable while she is there.


Bergen based artist Habitus visited Stavanger and left these wonderful gifts for us. The realistic spraycans are actually made of porcelain. See if you can find more of them!