Djurberg's tales explore the vicissitudes of revenge, lust, submission, gluttony and other primal emotions. In the hands of the artist the conventionally innocent technique of 'claymation' becomes a medium for nightmarish allegories of human behavior and social taboo.
Curated by Eric Crosby and Dean Otto
In the hands of Nathalie Djurberg, the conventionally innocent technique of “claymation” becomes a medium for nightmarish yet wry allegories of human behavior and social taboo. Since 2001, the Swedish-born artist has honed a distinctive style of video animation, using the pliability of clay to investigate the dark recesses of the human mind. Set to music and sound effects by her partner and collaborator Hans Berg, Djurberg’s handcrafted cinematic tales explore the vicissitudes of revenge, lust, submission, gluttony, and other primal emotions with an unblinking eye.
This Walker-organized exhibition, the largest American museum presentation of the artist’s work to date, includes a significant body of new work drawing on the psychology and natural history of birds. Blurring the cinematic and the sculptural, she integrates moving images with related set pieces, using actual bird species as points of departure for her sometimes monstrous hybrid figures. Projected amid her objects is a sequence of short films, in which characters, situations, and settings migrate from one narrative to the next. The result is an immersive installation revealing Djurberg’s continued interest in pageantry and abjection, evolution and decay.
The Parade: Nathalie Djurberg with music by Hans Berg is organized by the Walker Art Center and is made possible by generous support from Miriam and Erwin Kelen. Additional support is provided by Iaspis, the Swedish Arts Grants Committee’s International Programme for Visual Artists.
The exhibition catalogue is made possible by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in support of Walker Art Center publications. Additional support for the catalogue is generously provided by the Zach Feuer Gallery, New York, and Galleria Giò Marconi, Milan.
Burnet Art Gallery
The country's first luxury art hotel, Le Méridien Chambers Minneapolis features over 200 pieces of original contemporary art work from the private collection of the hotel's owner Ralph Burnet. Edgy and controversial pieces from the Young British Artist movement can be spotted throughout the hotel.
Burnet Art Gallery
Le Méridien Chambers
901 Hennepin Avenue,
Minneapolis