Børre Sæthre is back again. When I heard that KODE invited a new (and final) chapter in his powerful visual epic about Norwegian cruising culture, AIDS and repressed gay love, I was excited. I count the previous chapter, which was launched at Nitja in 2021, as one of the great artistic highlights of recent years. It was a raw depiction of longing for beauty and fear of death. This included, among other things, a perfect replica of the listed functional urinal in Stensparken in Oslo, which was called the love carousel, as it functioned for many years as a place for hasty, erotic meetings. NITJA, 2021: “The Sound of an Atom Splitting” at Nitja was a powerful experience. In addition to the urinal, there is also a beeswax sculpture hanging from the ceiling, in a yellow-white material that gives associations to congealed semen. Photo: Kunstdok / Tor Simen Ulstein The “semen” contained both a life-renewing opportunity as an expression of desire and ecstasy, but can also be a deadly liquid, carrying the HIV virus which in the 80s and 90s claimed the lives of hundreds of gay men in Norway. Photo: Kunstdok / Tor Simen Ulstein Brilliant comeback I was not alone in appreciating this work. It was actually awarded the art critics prize that year, and with that Børre Sæthre’s comeback was a fact. Sæthre was the big star of the millennium scene, who gradually and imperceptibly disappeared from the limelight. That’s why it’s so improbably wonderful that, at the age of 56, he’s back with such force, and with a body of work that’s even better than his iconic youth projects. COMEBACK: Børre Sæthre has had a renaissance in recent years, after being less visible for a period, writes news’s reviewer. Photo: Hans Erik Lindbom / news If I had a certain lamp fever on Sæthre’s behalf when I entered Nitja in 2021, I was even more nervous when this summer I entered Lysverket at KODE. The drop height was reasonably high. But this time too, Sæthre delivers, and to his advantage. The KODE project is actually even a notch stronger than the one at Nitja. Perhaps it is about KODE’s wonderful tower hall, which Sæthre has been allowed to frolic in. He has dazzled the hall’s beautiful, open dome, and filled it with a strong, blue-green light. ATMOSPHERE: The combination of the fairytale-like wood and the disco-like surroundings create an enigmatic and dreamlike atmosphere. Photo: Dag Fosse GLASS RUBBER: In the display cases in the background are hand-blown glass sculptures in sand. These look like used condoms thrown away after hasty encounters in the open. Photo: Dag Fosse NEW LIGHT: There is something magical and dark about the white tree that stretches its branches towards the light dome. The tower hall is usually flooded with daylight, but here Børre Sæthre has filled the vaulted ceiling with a shiny, turquoise, pool-like light. Photo: DAG FOSSE The urinal as a meeting place As at Nitja, the public toilet forms a starting point. In a small room of his own, he has created a faithful copy of the open urinal in Byparken in Rasmus Meyers allé, which used to be a well-known cruising spot in the city. In here there are tiled walls, and a simple steel pissing trough, but on one wall hang wings made of real swan feathers. There is something glamorous and theatrical about these wings that can make us think of all the roles we wear on the everyday stage. CONTRAST: The angel wings hang in the urinal like a forgotten carnival costume. Photo: Dag Fosse Whether the wings are the illusion of a bird or an angel, they create a beautiful and heartbreaking contrast to the awkward frames the toilet formed around secret love and shady eroticism. Throughout, the KODE installation has a strong affinity with the Nitja project; here, too, the walls are studded with sparkling, turquoise sequins. A large podium that resembles a stage or a dance floor is surrounded by flashing light bulbs, which give associations to something that will soon be over: Perhaps it refers to the light signal about closing time in a pub, or a lamp that is about to go out. The soundscape is also the same: A powerful gong rings again and again like a fateful and ominous chorus. NIGHTCLUB?: The shiny, turquoise sequins evoke associations with a disco ball. Photo: Dag Fosse A tree made of congealed semen? What is really different about the new installation is the large, white tree that is fashioned in a yellow-white beeswax-like material. The tree stretches its sprawling branches towards the roof vault. At Nitja there was a shapeless sculpture hanging from the ceiling in the same material, which made me think of a tumor or a large accumulation of congealed semen. This time, the sculpture has been given a clearer shape, and brings something fairytale-like into the installation. CROWD: The public views the powerful work of art during the exhibition opening in June. Photo: Dag fosse The thoughts go to the white tree in the city of Minas Tirith in Tolkien’s mighty epic “The Lord of the Rings”. But the tree also brings in another additional dimension: it wasn’t just in nightclubs or urinals that you could meet. Hasty meetings also took place under the shelter of the trees in a dark part of the park, or on the edge of a forest grove. Strong and important narrative Børre Sæthre describes “Last Dance” as the last chapter in a trilogy. It took me a while to get the other chapters in order. But after reading, asking and digging, I found out that it is the small disco-inspired Lorck Schive installation “Ghost Arcade” at the Trondheim Art Museum in 2019, which is considered the starting point. That makes me even more excited. Here he really started small and further developed his strong and important narrative. It’s sad, but still very wise that he doesn’t plan more chapters. “Last Dance” at KODE is a magnificent finale! news reviewer: Title: “Last Dance” Artist: Børre Sæthre Place: KODE Bergen Time: 9 June – 29 October Estimated time: 30-45 min
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Børre Sæthre – “Last Dance” at KODE Bergen – Reviews and recommendations
