Per Mårtensson
Double Standards
December 7, 2013–March 2, 2014
Göteborgs Konsthall
Götaplatsen, SE–412 56
Göteborg
Sweden
T +46 31 368 34 50
goteborgs.konsthall [at] kultur.goteborg.se
It is with great pleasure that Göteborgs Konsthall can present a major solo exhibition with Per Mårtensson. The exhibition Double Standards will show both new and older works, and give a varied perspective into Per Mårtensson’s oeuvre.
Per Mårtensson’s work is characterized by a preoccupation with what has traditionally been a constant issue for modern painting, the two-dimensional surface. From the late 19th century and throughout the whole of 20th century the surface has constantly reactivated itself as a battleground for physical, intellectual and artistic struggles. Per Mårtensson tests, investigates, rejects, likes, processes and develops the ideas of modern painting’s dramatic history. And he does this with a clear position in his own time and in the context of his own life.
What distinguishes Per Mårtensson’s art is a distinct austerity and abstract concreteness. However, the question whether his painterly practice is abstract or figurative soon loses its meaning; instead, the individual work’s own subject matter becomes the focal point. Per Mårtensson’s art stems from complex relations, and each work has several levels of meaning superimposed upon each other. Without claiming to hierarchical structure, Mårtensson’s paintings relate to art history, the self-generated areas of investigation of the flat picture plane, and the interspatial visual manifestations of the contemporary urban environment.
Per Mårtensson was born in 1969 and he lives and works in Malmö, Sweden. He studied at Malmö Art Academy, where he graduated in 1997.
Double Standards is curated by Mikael Nanfeldt.
On the occasion of the exhibition, a smaller publication containing texts by Elena Tzotzi and Mikael Nanfeldt is published.
With special thanks to Elastic Gallery, Malmö, Sweden.
