Thursday 26 September at 19:00
En compagnie de, with artists Herman Mbamba and Christian Tony Norum.
Painting and painterly dialogue are central to the exhibition, which explores the similarities and differences between the two artists, with a particular focus on collaboration as artistic method and form. The exhibition title En compagnie de (Fr. in the company of) alludes both to the concrete collaboration and to a practice that stands in relation to art history – and to all the historical and contemporary practitioners of painting as an art form.
The exhibition presents brand new works and also invites the audience into the artistic process. At the centre of the exhibition is a large wall piece – an installation that will be activated on the opening night through a performance titled “The cosmic's absurds sing songs of painted palettes”.
Both Mbamba and Norum work primarily with painting, but also with poetry, video and performative works. Norum often draws inspiration from modernist painting and carries clear stylistic references to the canonised artists of art history, e.g. the COBRA group. Where Norum's visual language is marked by the immediate and expressive, Mbamba's painted surfaces have a graphic quality with a more worked-through composition.
The exhibition will be opened by Kari Nessa Nordtun.
Herman Mbamba, b. 1980 (Namibia), trained at the John Muafangejo Art Centre in Windhoek, Namibia, and the Academy of Fine Art in Oslo. He works primarily with painting, acrylic on paper and canvas in both small and monumental formats, but also with performative expressions. He recently drew attention for his participation in last year's Berlin Biennale, and is also showing a solo exhibition at Kunstnerforbundet later this autumn. Mbamba lives and works in Haugesund.
Christian Tony Norum, b. 1980 (Oslo), works mainly with oil painting in direct dialogue with poetic performance, installation, video and sculptural practice. On several occasions he has worked directly in response to Edvard Munch, in projects and exhibitions at Munch's studio at Ekely, Munch's house in Warnemünde, and at the Munch Museum. While borrowing formal expressions and methods from these historical artists, he is also engaged in a constant exploration and expansion of what painting can be – also in public space.
The exhibition opens Thursday 26 September at 19:00 and runs through Friday 8 November.