Olav Christopher Jenssen arbejder uden et fast, forudbestemt billede, og titlen på denne udstilling, Archaeology, tager denne betingelse alvorligt. Den beskriver ikke så meget værkerne som den måde, de bliver til på. At søge, ikke at vide, og alligevel fortsætte. Noget er der, men hvad der præcist vil blive opdaget, kan ikke forudses.
De udskårne malerier følger den samme logik. En dyb kadmiumrød lægges på i generøse, tykke penselstrøg; ovenpå placeres papirelementer omhyggeligt, fastgøres, dækkes og bearbejdes tilbage ind i overfladen med tæt, hvid oliemaling. Billedet opbygges ikke så meget som det gennemarbejdes. Det, der bliver tilbage, er ikke en stabil komposition, men et restprodukt af beslutninger.
Efter en blodprop i 2023, som i væsentlig grad forringede Jenssens syn, er hans arbejde blevet mere taktilt, mere optaget af processen og af at fortsætte. I de tidlige faser af sin genoptræning vendte kunstneren sig mod ler og påbegyndte en ny serie keramiske værker, som gjorde det muligt for ham udelukkende at arbejde med sin følesans. Gennem dette fandt han en ny form for frihed ved at frigøre sig fra afhængigheden af synet. I udstillingen samler hans keramiske skulpturer sig, med deres stærkt reflekterende, næsten folieagtige glasurer, som en løs familie af former.
I galleriets bageste rum løber en lang række Journal-tegninger hen over alle fire vægge. Udviklet kontinuerligt siden 1980’erne udgør disse små værker på papir — lavet med farvekridt og pastel, akvarel og oliestift, hver forseglet med voks — en løbende registrering af Jenssens praksis. De kan læses som noter, fragmenter, en slags dagbog. Installeret kant mod kant langs en linje, der er tegnet direkte på væggen, følger de det, Jenssen kalder “den magiske linje”. Det er et enkelt greb, men et, der gør det muligt at vise mange værker uden at påtvinge dem et hierarki og uden at samle dem til én samlet fortælling.
[ENG, original tekst]
Olav Christopher Jenssen works without a fixed, pre-determined image, and the title of this show, Archaeology, takes that condition seriously. It does not describe the works so much as the way they come into being. Searching, not knowing, continuing anyway. Something is there, though exactly what will be discovered cannot be anticipated.
The cut out paintings follow this same logic. A deep cadmium red is laid down in generous, thick brushstrokes, onto it paper elements are carefully placed, secured, covered, and worked back into the surface in dense white oil paint. The image is not built so much as worked through. What remains is not a stable composition, but a residue of decisions.
Following a stroke in 2023 that significantly impaired Jenssen’s vision, his work has become more tactile, more concerned with process, and with continuation. In the early stages of his recovery, the artist turned to clay, beginning a new body of ceramic work which enabled him to work solely with his sense of touch. Through this he found a new sense of freedom, in escaping the reliance of sight. In the show, his ceramic sculptures, with their highly reflective, almost foil like glazes, gather as a loose family of forms.
In the back room of the gallery, a long line of Journal drawings runs across all four walls. Developed continuously since the 1980s, these small works on paper, made with crayon and pastel, watercolour and oil stick, each sealed with wax, form an ongoing record of Jenssen’s practice. They read as notes, fragments, a kind of diary. Installed edge to edge along a line drawn directly on the wall, they follow what Jenssen calls the “magic line.” It is a simple device, but one that it makes it possible to show many works without imposing hierarchy, and without turning them into a single narrative.
Signs appear throughout the exhibition, both as painted surfaces and as printed text. Usually found throughout Jenssen’s studio and home, marking special occasions, giving directions, announcing activities or just bringing joy, they enter here without changing their role. They mark, announce, point, welcome.
In this exhibition, something appears and is given time to remain, to hold space, to develop with the viewer.
Kilde:
Euismod Tellus Magna
Euismod Tellus Magna
