Bjarne Melgaard / Sverre BjertnæsNOE MAA GAA I STYKKER

In Galleri Star this year we exhibited 10 bronze sculptures that came about in a joint project combining the artistic talents of Bjarne Melgaard and Sverre Bjertnæs.

The complete project was first shown at Galleri Brandstrup and Rod Bianco Gallery and consists of sculptures, paintings, prints and installations, along with a dedicated DJ programme. When the sculptures were exhibited in their own room at Rod Bianco, they were illuminated by rotating light sources mounted in golden baths of oil. The visual diversity and the public’s sense of confusion all contributed to the experience. In Galleri Star the sculptures were shown for the first time without this filter, allowing their integral value to work its effect on the observer.

A recurring motif of the sculptures being shown at VKL was the use of texts by author Stig Sæterbakken (1966–2012), with quotations from his writing decorating the works. In his final novel Sæterbakken, who took his own life, dwelled on the theme of suicide and the pain of those bereaved by it. This existential problem forms a starting point for these works of Melgaard og Bjertnes.

The artists have collaborated on several occasions; now that they have also have further developed their individual artistic careers, their reunion has shown itself to be highly consequential. On the surface, they would seem to be two artists with very little common ground. One favours expressivity, energy and transgression; the other’s style is restrained, sober and softly spoken. Melgaard represents the chaotic, the ludic, the vulnerable, and the uncensored. Bjertnæs represents the ordered, the classic, the beautiful and the perfect. Despite the fact that they are working on the same physical surface, it is impossible to mistake the characteristic and recognisable style of the one for the other. Superimposed, their individual expressions create a captivating dynamic and a whole spectrum of associations. At one and the same time we witness a collision and a counterpoint. A highly complex visual universe which is not devoid of harmonic aspects. The result is a double salute to figurative expression, humanity, and our divided nature.

_

Installation photography: Nina Ansten

Participating artists

• Bjarne Melgaard
• Sverre Bjertnæs