Bjarne Melgaard
dal 24/9/2012 al 17/11/2012
Segnalato da
24/9/2012
Bjarne Melgaard
ICA - Institute of Contemporary Arts, London
The exhibition "A House to Die In" is the result of a close collaboration between Melgaard and award-winning Norwegian architectural firm Snohetta. The artist will present a 1:1 facade of the proposed building, alongside models and drawings that form part of a wider body of research.
The ICA is delighted to announce that Bjarne Melgaard will be the subject of a major solo exhibition
coinciding with London’s Frieze Art Fair. Having spent much of his time in Norway, Melgaard currently
lives in New York where he occupies a vast studio in Bushwick, Brooklyn.
The exhibition, A House to Die In (2012) is the result of a close collaboration between Melgaard and
award-winning Norwegian architectural firm Snøhetta.
Since 2011, Melgaard and Snøhetta have exchanged architectural drawings, models and documents
as they work towards the realisation of a purpose-built house, commissioned by the Selvaag family
and Sealbay AS, where Melgaard will live and work.
For his exhibition in the ICA upper and lower galleries, Melgaard will present a 1:1 facade of the
proposed building, alongside models and drawings that form part of a wider body of research. This
material constitutes the first stage in the construction of the final building, scheduled to be built in
2014 in Oslo, Norway.
The collaborative process between Melgaard and Snøhetta is a positive struggle in which both parties
are constantly challenged, notably in Snøhetta's interpretation of Melgaard’s two-dimensional and
analogue drawings through three-dimensional digital renderings of the objects. Furthermore, various
processes of mathematical abstraction have led to multiple stages of representation of the original
information, namely Melgaard’s vision of a house ‘to die in’, a project outside their comfort zone.
Snøhetta’s focus is primarily architectural; whilst Melgaard’s foremost fear is to end up inhabiting the
territory of ‘pure architecture’. In this process Snøhetta depart from their comfort zone and well-
rehearsed creative processes and seek a new approach to constructing built forms. At the same time
there is a fine balance between thinking and simply producing in this process, as the aim is to
maintain the inherent quality and identity of Melgaard’s work in the end result.
The Upper Galleries display a body of work which was created by Bjarne Melgaard in partnership with
a group of artists (several of whom are in recovery, face mental or emotional challenges or suffer from
schizophrenia) without any formal art education and with little awareness of or connection to the
contemporary art world who have responded directly to his works. The collaboration resulted in a
layered conversation between the artists that responded and expanded on Melgaard’s visual
language and subject matter.
‘In this project, the joint authorship reflects the complexity of the artwork. Working with Bjarne
challenges us to discover the boundaries of our capabilities.’ Kjetil Thorsen, Snøhetta.
About Snøhetta
Formed in 1989, Snøhetta is an award-winning international architecture, landscape architecture,
interior architecture and graphic design firm based in Oslo and New York. As of 2012, the firm, which
is named after one of Norway`s highest mountain peaks, has approximately 120 staff members
working on projects in Europe, Asia, the United States and Canada. The practice is centered on a
transdisciplinary approach where multiple professions work together to explore differing perspectives
on the conditions for each project. A respect for diverse backgrounds and cultures is a key feature of
the practice; reflecting this value, Snøhetta is composed of designers and professionals from around
the world.
Snøhetta has during the last 10 years won several major projects all over the world, mentioning
National September 11 Memorial Museum Pavilion at the World Trade Center in New York, San
Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Mutrah Fishmarket in Oman and King Abdulaziz Center for World
Culture in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
In 2004 the company received the Aga Khan Award for Architecture and in 2009 it was honored with
the Mies van der Rohe Award. Snøhetta is the only company to have twice won the World
Architecture Award for best cultural building, in 2002 for the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and in 2008 for
the National Opera and Ballet in Oslo.
The house is commissioned by the Selvaag family and Sealbay AS
The ICA exhibitions are complemented by a wide range of events, performances and talks relating to
the artists featured and central themes of the programme.
Exhibition supported by The Henry Moore Foundation
Press information:
Naomi Crowther +44 (0)20 77661407 naomi.crowther@ica.org.uk
Image: Untitled [Detail of Diptych] (Bjarne Melgaard and Ruben Lopez) 2012
Institute of Contemporary Arts ICA
The Mall, London, SW1Y 5AH
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