Every Body Counts

Since the start in 2003, one of Vestfossen Kunstlaboratorium’s express goals was to reach out to everybody, to include a diverse audience. Every Body Counts took this to its logical conclusion.

The title of the exhibition, “Every Body Counts”, highlights two important themes: The human body in art, and the question of who art is for. The human body has been one of the important and radical themes of art. It exposes that which is taboo, undermines our pride and uncovers abuse of power and exploitation. The other theme of this years exhibition is the question of who art speaks to. VKL believes that everyone is capable of appreciating and of being touched by art, and that there is no reason for art to be the exclusive realm of artists and art experts.

Excerpt from the catalog text of Göran Green, curator:

"This year´s exhibition includes 77 works by 53 international and Nordic artists, who each in their own ways interpret and raise questions about man, the body and our current state. But the body is reference point. At a fundamental level it is essential to our existence – both as a tool and as a jail. We are imprisoned in our bodies. Our bodies live their own lives, and are subject to external forces. We are constantly having to adopt to a variety of changes and threats: ageing, illness and the knowledge that our bodies will die, and that we will die with them. The body is also somewhere we can project our ideals and longing for beauty, as well as our fears. Love, life and death are physical phenomena." (p. 26-27)

Participating artists:
Andrés Serrano, Jake & Dinos Chapman, Nicole Eisenman, Jemima Brown, Alexandra Kucharska, Emil Holmer, Kjell Erik Killi Olsen, Roman Signer, Jani Hänninen, Bjarne Melgaard, Tom Sandberg, Ryszard Warsinski, Anders A, Bjørn Bjarre, Heli Rekula, Marika Orenius, Per Wisén, Peter Ern, Eva Marklund, Eivind Blaker, Ryan Trecartin & Lizzy Fitch, Kim Simonsson, A K Dolven, Sigalit Landau, Anna Nordenskiöld, Dearraindrop, Thaddeus Strode, Magnus Wallin, Jyrki Reikki, Hanneline Røgeberg, Endre Tveitan, Charlotte Thiis-Evensen, Lena Cronquist, Luis Vidal, Leif Holmstrand, Patrick Goddard, Ulf Rahmberg, Erik Parker, Christian Lemmerz, Jiri Geller, Arif Osakca, Ilkka Halso, Fine Art Union, Kelley Walker, Kati Heck, Linn Fernström, Jes Brinch, Mikael Kvium, Wolfgang Tillmans, Nathalie Djurberg, Peter Johansson & Barbro Westling and Virgine Barré.