|
Nils Erik Gjerdevik holds a unique position in the Danish art world. He
makes paintings, sculptures and drawings - and he constantly challenges
these media. For almost three decades, Gjerdevik has been the
personification of innovation and that is one of the reasons why his art,
among other things, has been a source of inspiration for a lot of
contemporary artists.
His body of work is both
extensive and multi-faceted. It contains elements from several "-isms",
like the abstract formal, but also from architectural form language.
Cartoon-like elements meet science fiction, and ornaments and arabesques
exist side by side with whirling spirals and tortuous patterns. The result
is varied, colourful and brilliant.
The exhibition at
Kunsthallen Brandts presents a number of new works by Nils Erik Gjerdevik:
paintings, sculptures and drawings made especially for the 800-square-metre
gallery. Gjerdevik´s large paintings (2.5 x 4.8 m) unfold themselves
and turn into outstanding statements. The concepts of sculpture are
examined and reinvented with materials like epoxy, steel and fimo clay.
They hang monumentally under the ceiling, where they constitute weightless,
colourful manifestations of urban structures.
Opening
The exhibition opens Thursday, 11 October 2012 at 5pm.
An
art critic and journalist from Weekendavisen Lisbeth Bonde will
open the exhibition. The artist will be present.
Catalogue
Kunsthallen Brandts will publish an illustrated
catalogue containing texts by MA and visual artist Christian Foghmar and
Henrik Oxvig, Head of Research at Institute of Building Culture,
School of Architecture, Royal Danish Academy of Fine
Arts.
About the artist
Nils Erik Gjerdevik was born in Oslo in 1962. He lives and works in
Copenhagen. Gjerdevik attended H.C. Høier´s School of Painting
(1982–83) and the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague (1984). Over the
years, Gjerdevik has been commissioned by institutions like the University
of Copenhagen, Amager (2002) and the Opera House in Copenhagen (2004). In
2001, he became a member of Den Frie Center for Contemporary Art, and he
was awarded the Eckersberg Medal in 2002.
In 2011, Gjerdevik
won the competition "Our Art" initiated by the Danish Broadcasting
Corporation. The artwork—luminous, coloured electricity
poles—is expected to be constructed in the autumn of 2012.
The exhibition is supported by The Danish Arts Council, the Augustinus
Foundation and Kunsthallen Brandts' Sponsor Club.
|
