Norwegian Situations at NADA East Broadway in NYC
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NORWEGIAN SITUATIONS
Ryan Cullen, Naomi Fisher, Elizabeth Hart, Henrik Olai Kaarstein, Kornelia Remø Klokk, Kim Laybourn, Ivan Lee, Kobie Nel, Ann Cathrin November Høibo, Louis Schou-Hansen, Tanja Thorjussen, and Bobby Yu Shuk Pui. Curated by Jackie Klempay August 15 - September 20, 2024 Opening reception & performances: Thursday August 15th, 6-9PM Performance schedule: 7:30PM Tanja Thorjussen 7:35PM Naomi Fisher and Elizabeth Hart 8:00PM Louis Schou-Hansen 8:30PM Ivan Lee Hosted at NADA East Broadway 311 E. Broadway, 2nd floor NYC 10002 |
For this group show I chose to exhibit the triptych "Naga and the Huluppi Tree" which I initially made for the exhibition "Eden and Everything After" at the Museum of Archaeology, Stavanger (NO). The snake triptych was created in response to a small gold snake in the museum collection, however as the title implies, the work is related to the vast mythologies of snakes and trees in our human histories. The intention of the work is to resurrect the energies of the snake as an interconnectedness force between humans as part of nature, the spiritual in all beings and the cosmic energies we are constantly engaged in.
SITUATIONS is proud to announce Norwegian Situations, a group exhibition of prominent emerging and mid-career artists working in the contemporary Norwegian art scene, curated by SITUATIONS owner and director Jackie Klempay. Hosted at NADA East Broadway, the exhibition functions as a regional survey, seen through the lens of a personal travelog.
In June 2022, Klempay traveled to Norway through the NADA/UKS Curatorial Residency program, immersing herself in the scenes of Oslo and Bergen over the course of three weeks. Through her numerous visits with artists, curators, and gallerists working and exhibiting in these cities, Klempay noted that experimentation was valued above any practical or commercial concerns. Norway collectively believes and invests in cultural production as a vital component within a thriving society, in turn empowering resident artists to embrace bold ideas over more familiar approaches. The group of artists selected for this exhibition challenge their viewers through a variety of material and conceptual strategies, offering unique perspectives on navigating the contemporary human condition and their surrounding environment.
Throughout the exhibition, themes of transformation, ephemerality, and adaptation recur. Kim Laybourn and Tanja Thorjussen consider change from an ecological perspective in their works, using symbols of flora and fauna to examine the complicated relationship between humanity and nature. Laybourn’s film places viewers directly into an anthropomorphic landscape in motion, honing in on the forces that change and ultimately destroy nature. Thorjussen’s drawing triptych reimagines the symbol of the snake through the lenses of modern science and ancient cultures, expanding upon the creature’s metaphoric potential. Ryan Cullen’s painting is part of a larger body of work focussed on the representation of the death-drive at the apex of existential risk. A middle-aged businessman returns the viewers’ gaze while black oil oozes over his head, reveling in abject filth, guilt, and hubris.
Reinterpreting Norwegian textile tradition through contemporary means and materials, Ann Cathrin November Høibo’s hanging tapestry is silkscreened with a reflected image of interwoven braids. Kornelia Remø Klokk’s tapestry likewise looks to the history of weaving, while interjecting with allusions to digital life and bodily transformation. Her crimson sculptural figure emphasizes the body’s potential to pique both desire and disgust, and the uncomfortable proximity of those sentiments. Employing speculative fiction to delve into themes of human genetic engineering, Bobby Yu Shuk Pui’s “Genetic Salon” project proposes new dialogues around gender, identity, and the human body. Kobie Nel’s installation of pink foam is a subtle intervening presence, its material properties of color and sound-dampening heightens viewers’ awareness of their own physicality within the exhibition space. Henrik Olai Kaarstein’s abstract, painterly installation recasts lived-in everyday objects as potential surfaces and supports. A worn, gathered skirt of fabric and shattered, tempered glass bear impressions of the past while assuming new form and context through their combination.
An evening of performances will take place at 7:30PM on the night of the opening reception within the exhibition space. Louis Schou-Hansen taunts the homophobic ghost of American composer Charles Ives. Elizabeth Hart enacts a dancer’s warm-up routine, activating the ballet bar built into the surface of Naomi Fisher’s Edvard Munch-inspired painting. Ivan Lee taps into the sonic potential of plants to create a botanical soundscape.
As a whole, the exhibition offers an intimate portrait of the variety of innovative artwork currently being made by artists living and working in Norway, but not exclusively by those born in Norway. Like New York, Oslo and Bergen are incredibly cosmopolitan, and the artists of Norwegian Situations are from all over the world. By presenting the different ways in which they engage with Norway’s unique history, culture, and environment, the exhibition explores how artistic affinities are established in relation to a particular place. Offering distinct perspectives on the current moment, the exhibition establishes a cultural exchange between the close-knit creative communities based in these Norwegian cities and the sprawl of New York’s art scene.
VISITING AND FURTHER INFORMATION
Norwegian Situations at NADA East Broadway will be open to the public Tuesday - Friday, 1-6PM.
For more information please visit situations.us or contact [email protected]. For press requests, please contact Renee Delosh at [email protected].
This exhibition is made possible with generous support from the Office for Contemporary Art Norway (OCA) and by Flanders State of the Art. Special thanks to Heidi Olufsen, Consul General; Ari Tiziani, Adviser, Arts & Culture, and the Norwegian Consulate General in New York.
In June 2022, Klempay traveled to Norway through the NADA/UKS Curatorial Residency program, immersing herself in the scenes of Oslo and Bergen over the course of three weeks. Through her numerous visits with artists, curators, and gallerists working and exhibiting in these cities, Klempay noted that experimentation was valued above any practical or commercial concerns. Norway collectively believes and invests in cultural production as a vital component within a thriving society, in turn empowering resident artists to embrace bold ideas over more familiar approaches. The group of artists selected for this exhibition challenge their viewers through a variety of material and conceptual strategies, offering unique perspectives on navigating the contemporary human condition and their surrounding environment.
Throughout the exhibition, themes of transformation, ephemerality, and adaptation recur. Kim Laybourn and Tanja Thorjussen consider change from an ecological perspective in their works, using symbols of flora and fauna to examine the complicated relationship between humanity and nature. Laybourn’s film places viewers directly into an anthropomorphic landscape in motion, honing in on the forces that change and ultimately destroy nature. Thorjussen’s drawing triptych reimagines the symbol of the snake through the lenses of modern science and ancient cultures, expanding upon the creature’s metaphoric potential. Ryan Cullen’s painting is part of a larger body of work focussed on the representation of the death-drive at the apex of existential risk. A middle-aged businessman returns the viewers’ gaze while black oil oozes over his head, reveling in abject filth, guilt, and hubris.
Reinterpreting Norwegian textile tradition through contemporary means and materials, Ann Cathrin November Høibo’s hanging tapestry is silkscreened with a reflected image of interwoven braids. Kornelia Remø Klokk’s tapestry likewise looks to the history of weaving, while interjecting with allusions to digital life and bodily transformation. Her crimson sculptural figure emphasizes the body’s potential to pique both desire and disgust, and the uncomfortable proximity of those sentiments. Employing speculative fiction to delve into themes of human genetic engineering, Bobby Yu Shuk Pui’s “Genetic Salon” project proposes new dialogues around gender, identity, and the human body. Kobie Nel’s installation of pink foam is a subtle intervening presence, its material properties of color and sound-dampening heightens viewers’ awareness of their own physicality within the exhibition space. Henrik Olai Kaarstein’s abstract, painterly installation recasts lived-in everyday objects as potential surfaces and supports. A worn, gathered skirt of fabric and shattered, tempered glass bear impressions of the past while assuming new form and context through their combination.
An evening of performances will take place at 7:30PM on the night of the opening reception within the exhibition space. Louis Schou-Hansen taunts the homophobic ghost of American composer Charles Ives. Elizabeth Hart enacts a dancer’s warm-up routine, activating the ballet bar built into the surface of Naomi Fisher’s Edvard Munch-inspired painting. Ivan Lee taps into the sonic potential of plants to create a botanical soundscape.
As a whole, the exhibition offers an intimate portrait of the variety of innovative artwork currently being made by artists living and working in Norway, but not exclusively by those born in Norway. Like New York, Oslo and Bergen are incredibly cosmopolitan, and the artists of Norwegian Situations are from all over the world. By presenting the different ways in which they engage with Norway’s unique history, culture, and environment, the exhibition explores how artistic affinities are established in relation to a particular place. Offering distinct perspectives on the current moment, the exhibition establishes a cultural exchange between the close-knit creative communities based in these Norwegian cities and the sprawl of New York’s art scene.
VISITING AND FURTHER INFORMATION
Norwegian Situations at NADA East Broadway will be open to the public Tuesday - Friday, 1-6PM.
For more information please visit situations.us or contact [email protected]. For press requests, please contact Renee Delosh at [email protected].
This exhibition is made possible with generous support from the Office for Contemporary Art Norway (OCA) and by Flanders State of the Art. Special thanks to Heidi Olufsen, Consul General; Ari Tiziani, Adviser, Arts & Culture, and the Norwegian Consulate General in New York.