Ofer Wolberger, “Nein”

wolberger-1
Ofer Wolberger, Nein, 2013-2015. Image: Stene Projects.

Ofer Wolberger’s first exhibition in Scandinavia, titled “Nein,” displays works ripe from the artist’s teenage inexperience. Wolberger refuses to show any signs of an original gesture with this collection of paintings, for one of which he appropriates the titular image of Dopey, 2015. The singular, doe-eyed cartoon dwarf is borrowed both from Walt Disney’s and Adolf Hitler’s supposed sketches of the character—as the press release states—emphasizing the difficulty of verifying an image’s origin, as well as the murky ethics of some creativity. The paintings appear childish and playful, as in the panorama of Landscape, 2015, where grass-green mountains compliment a cartoonish, royal-blue sky, or in Pinocchio I–III, 2015, where the iconic boy-puppet is exhibited in a vibrant triptych. Upon closer examination, these works seem to vacillate between a sense of emasculation and of a severe overcompensation of masculine symbols throughout. For instance, Pinocchio’s nose is a phallus; a black rod lashes across the canvas in Nein, 2013–2015; and in a juvenile sketch of a skewed man titled Childhood Drawing, 2015, an oversized sexual organ projects toward some unseen target.

The artist’s pieces accentuate frivolity, yet one may easily glimpse a darker, less obvious humor that exists below the surface of each displayed gesture. Adulthood is never too far from any given childhood, and these works highlight how fragile the division between comedy and tragedy remains. By drawing attention to the harsh reality of failure and misconception, the delusions that many embrace during their formative years may crumble over time with each blow or negotiation as they approach maturity.

To see the review in context, click here.

Edgar Cleijne & Ellen Gallagher, “Better Dimension”

Edgar Cleijne & Ellen Gallagher
Installation view. Image: Jacquelyn Davis.

Presenting collaborations between Dutch artist Edgar Cleijne and US artist and filmmaker Ellen Gallagher, ‘Better Dimension’ at Stockholm’s Bonniers Konsthall includes experimental works that provide socio-political commentary on US history and race relations from a cosmic, obscure distance. More »

Riga International Biennial of Contemporary Art (RIBOCA1)

Aslan Gaisumov
Aslan Gaisumov, People of No Consequence, 2016.

For the first Riga International Biennial of Contemporary Art, curator Katarina Gregos has chosen to view Latvia as ‘the center of the world,’ where other regions and nationalities become satellites. This is refreshing, for the Baltics have previously been considered to have a peripheral status. More »

Johannes Heldén, “The Exploding Book”

Johannes Heldén
Johannes Heldén, Clouds, 2017.

As one enters the space temporarily designated for Swedish artist and poet Johannes Heldén’s The Exploding Book at Konstakademin’s in Stockholm, one detects that Heldén is receptive to nuance; each creative gesture confirms his dedication to both text and image, expressed with equitable consideration. More »

Malin Gabriella Nordin, “Floating from Within”

Malin Gabriella Nordin, Veil of Dreams, 2017. Image: Gallery Steinsland Berliner.

Stockholm-based artist Malin Gabriella Nordin is one of many Swedish women artists who resort to the basics – or perhaps the old ways, meaning they’re not particularly interested in the digital. More »

“Survival Kit 9”

Andris Eglītis, Laboratory of Poetic Research, 2017. Image: Jacquelyn Davis.

The 9th edition of Survival Kit is orchestrated by a small team of Baltic and Scandinavian curators: Jonatan Habib Engqvist, Solvita Krese and Inga Lāce. All possess a background in organizing independently and within the confines of institutions, which may be their strong point—their fluidity. More »

The 9th Momentum Biennial

Jenna Sutela, Sporulating Paragraph, 2017. Image: Momentum 9.

Momentum 9, taking place in the industrial town of Moss, Norway, is being curated by Ulrika Flink, Ilari Laamanen, Jacob Lillemose, Gunhild Moe, and Jón B.K. Ransu, who together represent the Scandinavian region. With this biennial’s focus on ‘alienation’, the curators joined forces to determine how alien processes and entities are infused in our lives through technological, ecological and social transformations. More »

Klas Eriksson, “Vet din mamma var du e?”

Klas Eriksson
Klas Eriksson, Evidence of Patchwork, 2017. Image: Göteborgs Konsthall.

Swedish artist Klas Eriksson has developed a practice rooted in examining subcultures via works in public spaces and spontaneous performances. With an interest in how power flows and how crowds function, the artist attempts to unpack sociopolitical dynamics using playful tactics. More »

Lovisa Ringborg, “Night Remains”

Lovisa Ringborg
Lovisa Ringborg, Fountain, 2017. Image: Cecilia Hillström Gallery.

In Lovisa Ringborg’s second exhibition at this gallery, the artist upholds the argument that displaying a set of harmonious works can be more potent than a plethora of free-floating entities. More »

Przemek Pyszczek, “1989”

Przemek Pyszczek
Przemek Pyszczek, Public Relief No 6, 2016. Image: Gallery Belenius.

Polish-born, Canadian-raised, Berlin-based artist Przemek Pyszczek displays new works which are primarily sculptural and mixed media, with stints into collage. More »