1983/1984
FIRST TWO SOLO EXHIBITIONS
- On the Path to Deeper Artistic Freedom -
Part 1
In the early 1980s, I had decided to study Egyptology at the University of Uppsala, Sweden.A small note in a store in downtown Oslo changed everything. The note mentioned that they were looking for someone to join a studio collective in Korsgata, Oslo.
That sealed my fate.
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans"
(John Lennon).
Jane's Painting – Acrylic on Paper, set up on canvas – 227 x 118 cm.
In 1983, I held my first solo exhibition. The first image here is from that exhibition. The next painting is from the second solo exhibition.
The "thread" in both exhibitions was to explore the possibilities and characteristics of black-and-white painting.
"Heftiges Malerei" was neither a goal nor a standard for me. Rather, it was an important starting point.
Read more about this exhibition here.
Jane's Painting – Closeup
The Early 1980s (Some Say Late 1970s), a new tsunami swept through the art world during this period: "Heftiges Malerei," a kind of punk expressionism.
This style often featured bold brushstrokes and strong colours. But colours? Not for me, ha! I found that colours, for me, merely became "decorations" on top of the real painting. Stubborn as a mule, I decided not to use colours until it felt absolutely necessary.
This painting is from my second solo exhibition in 1984.
As you can see from the photo below, it’s quite a large painting
As you can see from the photo below, it’s quite a large painting
All the paintings were still only in black and white. I don’t remember much from the opening, except for two things (it was, let’s say, a rather "wet" event).
The first was that Ryszard Warsinski advised me to abandon black pigment and instead mix black using the three primary colours. I’m usually not receptive to "good advice," but I followed this one immediately and have never touched black pigment since that evening. The second thing I remember was that Ludvig Eikaas brought his own fiddle and played it "without end." I’m not sure if it was the fiddle that was out of tune or Ludvig himself.
This painting now hangs in the collection of a prominent art collector. Before he acquired it, it hung in the reception area of the Savoy Hotel, right next to the old National Gallery in Universitetsgata, Oslo.
Read more about the 2nd exhibiton in an illegal nightclub here
