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press release
- Christian Schmidt-Rasmussen
January 11 2001 - February 23 2002,
Opening Friday January 11 from 17-19
It is a great pleasure
to present an exhibition with paintings by Christian Schmidt-Rasmussen.
Christian Schmidt-Rasmussen's new paintings are inspired by signs
and advertisements from popular culture.
Their vivid colour surfaces have a brash directness that stems from
his unique and expressive arrangement of colour and form.
One by one the paintings represent a statement. At first glance
one will recognise an inspiration from 70's iconography, as well
as Robert Indiana's well-known 60's work LOVE. Christian Schmidt-Rasmussen
use completely different texts which in capsule the complexity of
contemporary emotional life.
His paintings are based on biographical materiel and combined with
the colourful and iconographic nature of the works they become fragments
of the artist's thoughts and ideas and momentarily self-portraits.
The paintings are all very complex, and they question more than
they actually offer any answers.
"L'amour toujours" can be seen as the frame of the exhibition. The
French title is a bit affected but expresses a (naive) hope for
the future.
"Jeg er fri" (I Am Free) and "Vi lever det ud" (We Are Carrying
It out) and "Frihed" (Freedom) can be seen as an excited exclamation
while flinging one's arms about in a very expensive porcelain boutique.
Transparency is often seen as something positive but in connection
to the future, "Transparent Future" , an element of dissolution,
uncertainty, and death is added, something that most of us likes
to not be reminded of, but at the same time a thought that we have
to get used to.
"Sex" is by far the less complex painting, The painting is an individual,
expressing his/her desire. Like on the invitation card for the exhibition,
the painting is sharp, and centred and the artist is out of focus
for a moment, distracted from the activities that he has left behind
in his bed.
"Equal Rights" is a cheery painting that reminds us of the earlier
paintings of Christian Schmidt-Rasmussen. The painting contains
an uneven number of genitals (two male and one female), but it is
to be seen only as an aesthetic choice, rather than gender political
comment by the artist.
"I'm not Like You" and "Its a Sin" are both titles of pop songs,
but as the artist has a bad hearing on his left ear, they are not
related to the actual contents of the songs, as he could not hear
the lyrics. Instead the paintings are momentarily self-portraits
or representations of state of mind at the time the songs were played
on his radio.
"Nogne Voksne" ("Nude Adults") is a "scantily dressed" painting
but without the expected image of nudity. As nudity often involves
a sudden awkwardness, the artist has chosen to let this awkwardness
be represented by the clumsy words on the canvas.
Maybe we inscribe a lot of meaning in the paintings and even more
than actually is intended. We tend to let us seduce by statements
and take their saying for face value and should perhaps simply enjoy
the aesthetic experience of the colours and shapes. Maybe the texts
are more the artist's attempt to disorientate us rather than offer
us interpretations. Or he is perhaps cheating us to believe that
there is a meaning to be found in order make us generate a meaning
ourselves.
If
you have any questions please contact us for more information.
Kind regards
Galleri Nicolai Wallner
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