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Jan Svenungsson
ZWISCHEN ZWEI SPRACHEN - March 29 until May 03, 2008

 

Jan Svenungsson is a multiform artist. Since 1992 he is producing Chimney sculptures and drawings, TEST paintings and Psycho-Mappings. As much as these bodies of work can seem to be different from one another, as consistent is the artist in his development of his theme(s).

Language and place always have a central role to play in Jan Svenungsson’s work. In this exhibition we wil show a selection of works which address these concepts explicitly.

Between 1986 and 1999 Jan Svenungsson worked intermittently on a project centered around the novel HEBDOMEROS by Giorgio de Chirico. He translated it into Swedish and photographed Volos, where de Chirico was born. Combined with the text, the photographs became another layer in a translation published in the form of an exhibition.

TRY TO DEFINE YOURSELF ZWISCHEN ZWEI SPRACHEN

These seven words from two languages form a 76 x 56 cm drawing in charcoal, made in 2006 on Arches paper. Later, the artist wrote:

I like to look at this work, but I can’t say say whether it’s the message or its image that attracts most my interest. I guess it’s both — and something in-between. That’s exactly where I want to be. (Svenungsson 2007)

The viewer is invited to follow the artist to this place.

For a 2006 solo exhibition in the Brandenburgische Kunstverein in Potsdam, Svenungsson created mixed language messages in two versions: English-German and Swedish-French. Each is painted on five large canvases (190 x 140 cm), and also exists as charcoal drawings (76 x 56 cm).

The large painting A Place on Earth (230 x 390 cm) was created in spring 2007 during an Artist in Residence period spent at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. Based on satellite images, it’s an image of Papunya, the faraway place in the desert where modern Aboriginal art was invented in 1972. Unlike Volos once, here Jan Svenungsson was not able to go in person.

For this exhibition we are also happy to offer a new sculpture edition: Litet Torn 2 / Small Tower 2, red patinated bronze, Height 43,5 cm, Edition 10 + 1 AP, 2008.

 
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