Artist: Bjarne Melgaard

Bjarne Melgaard’s exhibition Lion Sluts embraces the profane, though it stands alone as a solo show. His paintings are created intuitively, channeling his innermost feelings. These paintings follow an arduous public court case, with the paintings providing a space for the artist to express his darker feelings and visualise the sense of chaos that has driven his legal battles. His subsequent debt is a recurring presence in these new works, as a mountain to be conquered or a frenetic mass of words that surround his main characters. His works are painted in vibrant strokes of colour, which could be read as either joyful or frenzied. Cartoon figures are depicted in thick black lines, often taking the form of animals, which the artist sees as spiritual guides from his own imagination. Scratchy marks and dynamic loops of paint that cut through these, suggestive of a more immediate emotional release. These works reflect upon existential pain, drawing the viewer into an in-between space amongst Melgaard’s rich layers that variously promises solace, escape, or emancipation.

Bjarne Melgaard (b. 1967) is a Norwegian artist who is currently based in Oslo. He first developed his neo-expressionistic, gestural style of painting in the mid-1990s, often addressing marginal and subcultural phenomena to raise provocative and critical questions about society. He explores the darker side of humanity, such as self-destructive tendencies, deviant sexuality or fringe religious beliefs, pushing the boundaries of acceptability in order to probe social, political and ideological issues. He represented Norway at the 54th Venice Biennale. His work has been exhibited in institutions and galleries around the world, including the Astrup Fearnley Museum, the Julia Stoschek Foundation and the Munch Museum.