AK Dolven’s art was one of the most important reasons why, as a young art history student, I opted out of medieval studies in favor of contemporary art. I remember being completely blown away by the pure, suggestive power of her work. The surreal and romantic, which also carried an underlying darkness. Her works could affect me for weeks and constantly generate new reflections and questions. And it’s not just me that she has excited. Dolven (whose first name is actually Anne Katrine, but who only uses the initials AK) is considered one of our foremost: an artist who has been successful both on the domestic and international art scene. Now the small Oslo gallery OSL Contemporary is showing the exhibition “Still Life”, which presents a selection of her recent works. READ BETWEEN THE LINES: There is an authority and awareness of form in the expression that tells us that it was not created by anyone. But I still don’t think these pictures are that very interesting. Photo: Øystein Thorvaldsen / OSL contemporary Painting with the body The first thing that meets us in the gallery are some monumental minimalist paintings. On a white surface, two red lines appear, almost like two melancholic leaning figures. Another association that comes to my mind is blood: either traces of blood in the snow, or perhaps on a white sheet. In a grey-black, almost photographic painting, we see a white, shapeless figure against the shimmering, dim background – like a lonely bird in the dark of night. The pictures are made in oil on aluminium, and here she has painted with her own body. In her studio, she has raised and lowered herself with rope, and controlled the pressure of a shoulder or arm covered in paint against the canvas. THE NEW BRUSH: Dolven examines the painterly tools. In this case, a body print against the canvas. Photo: Øystein Thorvaldsen / OSL contemporary It is of course fun to imagine AK Dolven performing these acrobatic exercises, but still neither the result nor the process can be described as very innovative. Methodically, she draws here alternately on body painting from the 60s, and artists such as Yves Klein or Shigeko Kubota who, in very different ways, just used the body as a painterly tool. The pictures undoubtedly have a nerve and a presence in the expression that shows that they were not created by any novice. With an aesthetic naturalness, she explores the various painterly tools. Surprisingly banal When I became familiar with Dolven’s artistry around the year 2000, it was precisely the ambiguity that fascinated me: The fact that the works rarely conveyed a simple and readable narrative, but only gave enigmatic glimpses into something that I myself had to ponder further. This is not the case in her new photo series “Stairs” (2022). Here I feel that we are being spoon-fed a message, and it is a surprisingly banal narrative that is conveyed. The photo series shows glimpses of what appears to have been a performance. In the new National Museum’s wide, steep concrete staircase lies a naked woman. In the different pictures, we see her in different degrees of undress and in different places on the stairs. UNIMPRESSIVE: The new photographs lack the initiating ambiguity that characterizes many of Dolven’s earlier works. There is nothing about these images that continues to resonate with me after I leave the gallery. Photo: Øystein Thorvaldsen / OSL contemporary The fewer clothes she wears, the more garments are strewn around her. Reference to the iconic pictorial motif “Nude Descending a Staircase”, explored by giants such as Marcel Duchamp and Gerhard Richter, is clear enough, and the interpretation equally so. A young woman working her way up (or possibly falling down) the steep stairs, even in a powerful institution such as the National Museum, is likely to be seen as an image of the woman fighting her way to the top – but struggling to break through the patriarchal glass ceiling. The act of dressing and undressing becomes an image of the woman caught in the role of object and eye-catcher. This is particularly made clear in one of the series’ tableaus: Here we see her lying completely naked at the bottom of the stairs. The body is turned away and in the tense back we can sense the contours of the ribs, which brings to mind ideals of beauty and body hysteria. The recumbent figure also evokes associations with the Renaissance nude painting, which is often regarded as the great artistic starting point for the objectification of the female body. The pieces of the story can easily be put together, and when that is done, I am also completely finished with the work. There is nothing about this that gnaws at me. DOESN’T LIVE UP TO THE LEVEL: “Still Life” is weaker than AK Dolven’s previous works. Photo: Øystein Thorvaldsen / OSL contemporary Expect more than this! It is always a bit demanding to have to admit that a great artist you admire and have followed for years does not deliver. I’m tempted to fake an excitement I don’t feel, based on an old awe and politeness. But as I stand in the small gallery, I sadly have to realize that here Dolven does not live up to his own sky-high level. It may seem as if she has rested comfortably on her laurels. But I don’t want to say that it’s time for AK to throw in the towel. For that, I have much too high thoughts about what she can achieve. I both believe and hope that we will see more exciting things than this from her in the years to come. news reviews Photo: Øystein Thorvaldsen / OSL contemporary Title: “Still Life” Artist: AK Dolven Place: Osl Contemporary, Oslo When: 20 January 2023–25. February 2023
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