Stalke Out Of Project #18

Olafur Eliasson, Nikolaj Recke, Nils Erik Gjerdevik, Tine Haurum, Flemming Brusgaard, Lars Mathisen, Kristian Hornsleth, Kaj Nyborg and Frans Jacobi.

Place :Ringsted Galleriet

March to 6.4.1997

Review:

Stalke Gallery in Ringsted Galleriet

Artists play with materials and thoughts, but their works are not easily accessible.

At the opening of the exhibition of young art, arranged by Stalke Gallery in Copenhagen at Ringsted Galleriet, attendance was higher than usual.

"The artists play with materials and thoughts, but their works are not all easily accessible," said Maria Nikolaisen of Ringsted Galleriet, and she is right.

The exhibition provides a snapshot of the artists Stalke works with in Denmark and abroad. Four of the exhibiting artists will be represented when Louisiana (Museum of Modern Art) later hosts an exhibition of contemporary Danish and southern Swedish art. One of the four is the Icelander Olafur Eliasson, who is exhibiting photographs from the series Waterfall Pictures.

Flemming Brusgaard is exhibiting three photographs from a mountainous region. They are from Kehlstein. This is where Hitler devised his fateful plans while staying in the Bavarian Alps. That knowledge immediately transforms the photographs into something more than nearly banal postcard motifs.

Among the most striking works is Peter Rössell's lithograph Baby, featuring a girl talking on the phone, bursting with life and energy. Another work evokes thoughts of a Storm P. figure — absurdly misplaced. It depicts a flasher, although he himself appears to be fleeing. A third lithograph shows a cheerful, bass-playing rat and a startled donkey. The contrast between the two evokes a smile. The meaning remains a mystery.

Lars Mathisen exhibits corporeal images. Two mosaic-like pictures of a man and a woman exploring their own bodies with their hands. "They affirm themselves," explained Flemming Brusgaard.

Kristian Hornsleth's works are rooted in the absurd. He paints on record covers, photographs, and magazine covers pasted onto canvas. He often writes his name boldly across the image. He captures attention.

Niels Gjerdevik's palette features skewed colors, and he prefers unusual shapes. In one picture, pins are placed on a colored ribbon, and in another, a skull with entrails is depicted. His works are hard to ignore.

Nikolaj Recke paints using his nose as a brush. See for yourself.

Stalke Gallery began its operations in 1987. Under the name Stalke Out of Space, it has conducted a number of exhibitions outside its own gallery space — even west of Valby Hill. It would be great to see it return to Ringsted again.