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17/11/2010

Morten Viskum

Vegas Gallery (new venue), London

curated by Pier Vegner Tosta

Vegas gallery is very proud to present `The Hand with the Golden Ring ‘the first solo exhibition in the U.K. of the Norwegian artist Morten Viskum. Born in 1965 he is considered one of the most provocative and controversial contemporary artists from Scandinavia. The artist’s unconventional choice of materials, themes and artistic expressions often seduces and invites the viewers to experience a range of unexpected emotions, causing shock, amazement and uncontrollable curiosity.

Morten Viskum studied from 1993 to 1997 at the Royal Academy of Fine Art Oslo in Norway, where he had the opportunity to study under the British sculptor Michael O´Donnell. The artist’s large body of work often discloses matters related to Death, Existence and Religion; for some his works are perceived as forcefully sensational and purposely disturbing, for others his unusual approach and materials choice are the paramount trait of the unbiased artist. Unreservedly Viskum´s works have the genuine impact and the artistic relevance to be exposed to the most varied audiences, generating a boundless moment for debates, reflections and wonderment.

For his first London solo exhibition Morten Viskum will expose the paintings from his latest series ´The Hand with the Golden Ring’. For the delight of the artist´s fans and causing astonishment for those yet new to his art, the artist has confirmed to do a live performance during the evening of the private view; the thrill is caused by the fact a dead human hand will be used live as a paintbrush, demonstrating how the new series of paintings have been created.

It is not the first time the artist makes use of a severed human hand as a paintbrush to compose paintings; Viskum actually owns several hands, they are not merely tools; the idea of the hand being linked to an immortalized personality is absolute central to those occasions when Viskum paints with it. He gained notoriety in the art world when back in 1999 he showed at an exhibition in Copenhagen the very first series painted with a dead hand; ´The Hand that Never Stopped Painting`.

Carefully the hand used was placed in a metal box with a lid and the viewers decided for themselves if they wanted to see it or not. Over a decade later, the hand is still a strong and a significant part of his art projects; when painting with them each hand expresses a different style and the paintings embody a certain personality.

For this exhibition at Vegas Gallery, Morten Viskum will present his latest paintings created with a new hand. A performance by the artists will take place for those present at the private view, `The Hand with the Golden Ring ‘will be also be shown. This Hand, unlike the others evidences an aggregated object, the golden ring suggests vanity and affluence of the diseased; the golden ring acts as a counterfactual narrative; the object put contingency back into an obsequy, serving as a necessary antidote to traditional deterministic tendencies. The presence of the ring initiates an obituary and for the viewer it evidences a sense of the human futile materialism. Who the hands belonged to initially, is one of Viskum´s well kept secrets.

By this approach the art appear performative, more as an action, and not as much as an object related material presence.
By using one hand from a dead human being as a paintbrush, Viskum draws the attention towards the work process. One can easily recognize the patterns caused by the hand´s presence, formed by abrupt lines, applied vertically in many layers and in many colors, adding a vibrant feeling of rhythm to the surface of the scintillating painting. These paintings bring to mind the American Action Painting, an art form where the painting finds no premeditated composition, depriving itself from a focal point and defend that the focus on art is rather set on the event than on object itself.

Impressions and judgments often change when one becomes aware of his background, his oeuvre receives additional approbation when it is acknowledged that from 1987 to 1993 Morten Viskum studied at the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science in Oslo before he enrolled in Oslo´s academy of art. Viskum is an artist with a background in Natural Science, by fusing art with sciences a new context is framed and one understands immediately the clinical and cold aesthetic expression, a vehement characteristic found in his works.

Morten Viskum sees himself primarily as a performance artist, directly aware of and in communication with the audience; devices like dead animals, human bones, blood and medically related materials are evident devices capable to cause shock and disconcertment in a society eager for novelties and often unable to appreciate one´s sensibility and imagination. Viskum creates situations where the viewer is invited to become implicated in the act of forming the realms of contemporary art; his vision and determination involved him in the amazing project Vestfossen Kunstlaboratorium, Vestfossem Art Laboratory represents art of the highest caliber, engaging both the art world and the masses.

Morten Viskum´s artistic production forges stronger relations between art and a society, in the presence of his art one can´t avoid being taken away from the comfortable zones, his works form catalysts where the morbid gives space to relevance, the infamy to deference and reminds us that there is nothing fictitious about Death, neither about Nature. Life is a very unstable territory and failing to ponder about it may take us to alienation.

Morten Viskum lives and work in Norway. In addition to a range of solo shows at international galleries , he has exhibited at ME contemporary , Denmark , Nordic Art Triennal, Eskilstuna , Sweden , Drammen Museum, Norway, Museet for Samtidskunst, Roskilde and recently had a solo exhibition at Sørlandets Kunstmuseum, Kristiansand, Norway.

Opening Thursday 18 November 2010, 18.30-20.30, with a performance by Morten Viskum

VEGAS
45 Vyner Street, London E2 9DQ
Hours: Open Wednesday - Saturday 12-18
Sunday 13-18, Monday & Tuesday by appointment only
Free admission

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