From May 22nd to July 17th OPENING Friday May 22nd from 8 � 10 pm
"Sticks and Stones" is the first individual show of Morten Sletteme�s (1975 Gvarv, Telemark, Norway) in Spain. After his participation in the X International Call for young Artists in the summer of 2008, and his incorporation to the Gallery, his work has been presented with great success at the fairs in Madrid, Bologna, Rome, Puerto Rico and Mexico.
After his graduation in 2003 from the Academy of Fine Arts of Oslo, where he resides, he has participated actively in diverse collective and individual expositions chiefly in Norway and Germany. At present he enjoys a three year scholarship for young emerging artists from the government of Norway. In 2006 he received the Diesel prize. His work is already to be found in public collections such as: Stavanger International Collection, Malm� Konstmuseum in Sweden, StatoilHydro and Norwegian Cultural Council and in private Collections of Norway, Spain, Germany and Portugal.
Sletteme�s' paintings are large in format; they are colorful, expressive and organic. The artist knows that painting of today with necessity will have to relate to the long and rich history of painting, and he relates actively to these traditions. In the paintings one can see anonymous human beings partly set in heroic postures that remind one of pre-modernistic history-paintings. At the same time he relates to the Nordic expressionistic painting of the post-war period, like the painting of the COBRA-group and of Per Kirkeby.
You could say that his main characteristic, is the mixture, completely irreverent and audacious, of his diverse sources; The most dignified art history with its old heroic paintings, along with images of the daily press, advertisements and comics of old heroes. An interesting combination of low and high culture.
One of these points of departure is a 17th century painting which in a superior, dignified way depicts Spanish conquistadors. Sletteme�s keeps some of the baroque structure. The diagonals. The pictorial space. But the figures are no longer superior to the observer. On the contrary, they have attained a touch of comedy or ridicule.
On one hand, the action is halfway destructive (the starting point is always very close to an existing image that is going to be "destroyed") and, on the other hand, the effect is always a new painting, partly reconstructed, recycled, spun and presented as an orgasmic explosion of colors, very seductive to the eye.
Sletteme�s reveals himself under an anti authoritarian attitude towards painting and society. He cuts and pastes his motives in a kind of conspiracy that forces us to continue the evanescent narrative thread that takes place in his images. He steals like a magpie and plays around in the history of art as it was his own backyard.
For more information or high-res images please contact the gallery. Ph. +34 963510179 or [email protected]
MORTEN SLETTEME�S Del 22 de Mayo al 17 de Julio
"STICKS AND STONES" INAUGURACION viernes 22 de Mayo de 20.00 a 22.00
"Sticks and Stones" supone la primera individual de Morten Sletteme�s (1975 in Gvarv, Telemark, Noruega) en Espa�a. Tras su participaci�n en la X Convocatoria Internacional para j�venes Artistas en el verano del 2008 y su incorporaci�n a la Galer�a su obra ha sido presentada con gran �xito en las ferias de Madrid, Bolonia, Roma, Puerto Rico y M�xico.
Tras su graduaci�n en el 2003 de la Academia de Bellas Artes de Oslo, donde reside, ha participado activamente en diversas exposiciones individuales y colectivas principalmente en Noruega y Alemania. Actualmente disfruta de una beca de tres a�os para j�venes artistas emergentes del gobierno de Noruega. En 2006 recibi� el premio Diesel.
Su obra se encuentra ya en colecciones p�blicas como: Stavanger International Collection, Malm� Konstmuseum en Suecia, StatoilHydro y Norwegian Cultural Council y en Colecciones privadas de Noruega, Espa�a, Alemania y Portugal.
Las pinturas de Morten Sletteme�s son expresivas y org�nicas, con intensos brochazos de color. Sus obras llenas de luz, se toman muy seriamente la �lamentable� historia de la pintura. En sus cuadros uno puede ver seres an�nimos parcialmente localizados en posturas heroicas que nos recuerdan las hist�ricas pinturas post modernistas, pero tambi�n se refieren a las pinturas del periodo expresionista n�rdico de posguerras, como las pinturas del grupo COBRA y de Per Kirkeby.
Se podr�a decir que su principal caracter�stica, es la mezcla, totalmente irreverente y audaz, de sus diversas fuentes; La historia del arte m�s dignificada con sus viejas pinturas heroicas, junto con im�genes de la prensa diaria, anuncios publicitarios y comics de viejos h�roes. Una interesante combinaci�n entre la Baja y la Alta cultura.
Uno de estos puntos de referencia es la pintura del siglo XVII, en la que se describen de forma elevada y dignificante a los conquistadores espa�oles. En su reinterpretaci�n, Sletteme�s conserva algo de la estructura barroca de los cuadros; la diagonal y el espacio pict�rico pero la figura ya no est� en una posici�n superior al espectador, m�s bien se acerca a una representaci�n c�mica o rid�cula. Una cierta profanaci�n de lo sagrado que nos abre los ojos a una interpretaci�n exquisita y perversa al mismo tiempo.
Por un lado, la acci�n es medio destructiva (el punto de arranque es siempre muy pr�ximo a una imagen existente que va a ser �destruida�) y, por otro lado, el efecto es siempre una nueva pintura, parcialmente reconstruida, reciclada, centrifugada y presentada como una explosi�n org�smica de colores, muy seductora a la vista.
Sletteme�s se revela bajo una actitud anti autoritaria hacia la pintura y la sociedad. Corta y pega sus motivos en una especie de conspiraci�n que nos fuerza a seguir la evanescente narrativa que toma lugar en sus im�genes. Roba como una urraca y juega alrededor de la historia de arte como si fuera su gran tesoro.
Para m�s informaci�n o im�genes en alta comunicarse a la Galer�a Tel. 34 963510179 o al email: [email protected]
