The Lorck Schive Art Prize 2013: Lene Berg, Marianne Heier, Tine Jonsbu, Knut Åsdam
Until 5 January 2014
Trondheim kunstmuseum
TKM Bispegata
Bispegata 7b
7013 Trondheim
Norway
The Lorck Schive Art Prize, the largest art prize in Norway, has been presented for the first time at Trondheim kunstmuseum in autumn 2013. The prize consists of an exhibition and a production budget awarded all four shortlisted artists, and a final prize award of 500.000 NOK (60,000 EUR / 80,000 USD). From the above short list of artists, the jury decided to share the prize between two of the artists, Lene Berg and Marianne Heier.
From the prize motivation:
The direct linguistic approach of Marianne Heier’s work Dear Friends and the breaking of established social boundaries in Lene Berg’s film Dirty Young Loose have both convinced the jury through their mutually complex and comprehensive production of meaning. These works by Heier and Berg engage with perceptions of authority and moral, and reveal normative systems to the point where these systems start appearing as counterfeits.
Lene Berg distinguished herself with her contribution to this year’s Venice Biennial, a work which is now also displayed at Trondheim kunstmuseum. The way her film Dirty Young Loose (2013) uses the themes of seeing and being seen, is topical in today’s society. A young couple picked up by an older man create an erotic triangle where the roles of abusers and victims become uncertain. By her scrutinizing close-up, Berg turns the viewer into a participant, which provokes a disturbing sense of unease. Berg uses stereotypes in a way that changes or disrupts our view on sexuality. The spectator is the one ultimately exposed when s/he starts to wonder about her own position in the situation presented in the film. The moralising questions of the interrogators in the movie force the viewer to position herself.
Marianne Heier’s work Dear Friends (2013) is distinguished by a performative aspect. Consisting of a dismantled building hut and a political speech sounding from two speakers, it takes an active standpoint through an intriguing combination of installation, performance and appropriated speech. The speech used in the installation was given by the leader of the populist right party leader Siv Jensen shortly before the Norwegian elections this year, and by the turn of events—her party coming into government together with the Conservatives—has assumed a different level of unease. It talks about freedom and extended control at the same time, and the rhetorical twists become apparent by Heier performing the speech without adding any comments to it. The context of the installation provides room and time for reflection on the content, which makes the speech all the more comprehensive. The smell of the physical materials from a deconstructed building cabin of a type well known from the post-war period of Norway evokes another of the viewer’s senses than the gaze. By this act, not only material aspects are emphasized, but also the content of the speech.
Members of the jury:
Ute Meta Bauer (director at the NTU Center for Contemporary Art, Singapore), Ingar Dragset (artist, part of Elmgreen & Dragset), Elisabeth Mathisen (artist)
The works in the exhibition are:
Lene Berg, Dirty Young Loose/ Ung løs gris (2013), film, 32 minutes. Written and directed by Lene Berg.
Marianne Heier, Dear Friends/ Kjære venner (2013), installation with sound and object.
Tine Jonsbu, Drawings (2013).
Knut Åsdam, Egress (2013) video installation, sound, 41 minutes. Film written and directed by Knut Åsdam.
