JOHN M ARMLEDER, RICHARD ARTSCHWAGER, ASHLEY BICKERTON, JAN VERCRUYSSE
An exhibition organized in collaboration between Kunstnernes Hus in Oslo and the Pori Art Museum presents the work of four internationally renowned artists, primarily from the 1980s and 1990s. The unifying theme of the exhibition is the relationship between artworks and everyday reality. This theme is reflected in the artists’ diverse approaches to utilizing and interpreting materials and forms that reference our daily environment. Artschwager, Armleder, Bickerton, and Vercruysse create theatrical, architectural assemblages in which familiar objects, such as interior design elements, are detached from their original functions and recontextualized as conceptual starting points for art.
Richard Artschwager (b. 1923, USA) explores the duality of objects like a chair or table, presenting them simultaneously as physical items and representations of those items. His work provides a fertile ground for reflecting on the artist’s role as a mediator of reality. Artschwager employs synthetic materials, such as wood-grain or marble finishes, which create the illusion of authenticity. His background as a furniture designer and maker in the 1950s informs his fascination with meticulously handcrafted objects, as well as their visual qualities, functionality, and symbolism.
Jan Vercruysse (b. 1948, Belgium) employs genuine materials such as mahogany, rosewood, and other valuable woods. His works are spatially constructed assemblages or sculptural, enclosed structures that evoke a sense of solemnity akin to monuments. Like Artschwager, Vercruysse draws on familiar forms, such as frames, wall panels, or fireplaces. However, he seeks to distance these shapes from their conventional associations, creating self-contained works that align with art’s internal reality.
John M. Armleder (b. 1948, Switzerland) juxtaposes luxurious and everyday materials in his works, blending various artistic styles. A significant part of his practice involves so-called furniture sculptures, which often combine furniture pieces with Armleder’s abstract paintings. In these works, the painting becomes an integral part of a larger composition, creating a theatrical effect. Armleder’s art blurs the boundaries between functional and decorative, representational and abstract, placing them all on the same level of meaning.
Ashley Bickerton (b. 1959, USA) incorporates a wide range of materials and symbols in his works, referencing high-tech devices, space-age romanticism, and futurism. The technical precision of his pieces underscores the qualities that underpin advanced technology and the lightning-fast information society. Bickerton examines humanity’s relationship with the culture and technology it has created—elements that simultaneously pose threats and offer protection. For Bickerton, the artwork serves as a conveyor of multiple layers of information, embodying signs of its role as an object to be transported, packaged, stored, and observed.
Publication:
ISBN 951-9355-35-9 John M. Armleder, Richard Artschwager, Ashley Bickerton, Jan Vercruysse
Pori Art Museum 27.9.-31.10.1992
Editing: Åsmund Thorkildsen
Translation: Ruth Waaler, englanti, Anna Teponoja, Vesa-Matti Velhonoja, suomi
Lay-out: Kai Øvre
Production: Team Trykk as
Sats: Sats + Paste as
© Kunstnernes Hus, Oslo, Åsmund Thorkildsen
Pori Art Museum Publications 18
Translated with ChatGPT