As a critic, there is nothing so wonderful as being overcome with excitement when you think you are about to slaughter. When I went to the Munch Museum to see this year’s Solo Oslo exhibitor Constance Tenvik, I was skeptical. I prepared to write some words of truth about the great responsibility that lies in this prestigious exhibition series. ROMAN RED: Tenvik shows a fine-tuned sense of colour, red toned against pale green, shiny purple against lemon yellow. The drama is felt, even where we cannot be sure what is being reproduced. Photo: Ove Kvavik In the past, I have perceived Tenvik’s project as a bit eccentric and unhelpful, and with an affected pastel color that I don’t quite like. When I step into the eight-metre-high exhibition hall on the 10th floor of the Munch Museum, I am, in other words, both grumpy and prejudiced. SOLO IN OSLO: The exhibition series with young artists is called Solo Oslo, the installation itself, which is made up of several things made by Constance Tenvik, is called “Tio-tio-tinx”. Photo: Julia Grossi Love what I see That’s why I am so incredibly happy, yes, I would almost say overwhelmed, in the face of the powerful and colorful installation. Because I have to admit right away that I love what I see. Here I have either made a big mistake in the past, or there have been some pretty big changes: Gone are the candy-like colours. The paintings with the strange figures have been transformed into well-formed textiles. WHO CAN FLY: Strange and beautiful weavings with references to ancient mysticism, such as a cross between a woman and a bird on a yellow background. Edvard Munch was also fascinated by these “harpies”. The stand in the middle with bird wings is perhaps an image of man’s eternal longing to be able to fly, but has the weakest expression in the exhibition. Photo: Ove Kvavik / Constance Tenvik The figures still look like unchained snake people without a skeleton, but now I experience it more as a conscious design, where she combines an art deco-like elegance with something dreamlike and surreal. So I could be wrong. This is undoubtedly an artist who knows what she’s doing: She has steely control over both form and colour. In addition, she manages to charge her project with both insight and humour. What impresses me the most is how she is able to stitch together wrought iron, costumes, sculptures, digital jacquard fabric and film into a vital and strong whole. Clear dramaturgy The exhibition has a very clear dramaturgy. The room is divided into three spheres: It is the world of humans, birds and gods. The installation takes its inspiration from the Greek poet Aristophanes’ comedy “The Birds”, written in the 4th century BC. It is a humorous and lyrical story about two Athenians who, with the help of the birds, want to set themselves up as world rulers, and build a kingdom between the world of the birds and the gods, which eventually leads to a confrontation with the aggrieved gods. Fortunately, Constance Tenvik does not attempt to recreate this narrative directly in her installation. The work is its own rich world, but is filled with references to the old drama. Through a colorful wrought-iron portal, we enter the world of humans where we meet the drama’s two main characters: Pisthetaerus and Euelpides, whom Tenvik has chosen for the occasion to call Mr. Persuasive and Mr. Hopeful. THE DRAMA’S MAIN CHARACTERS: An angular, with something juvenile about him; the other far more youthful. Through the story that is told, I know that the last one is not a female figure, despite the round shapes. Photo: Ove Kvavik The sculptures are made of steel with simple textile elements. They are characterized by clean, stylized and expressive forms. Divine rebellion Central to the installation is an eight-minute long video filmed in Munch’s studio at Ekely. Here a drama unfolds between the twelve Olympian gods, who are enraged that humans have abandoned them. I stand and look at all the different elements of the installation: There is a lot of funny and strange happening here that you can write about. Naïve clouds are transformed into birds, and bird figures become people or angels. TENVIK AT MUNCH: Constance Tenvik in Munch’s old studio, Ekely, here with some of the paintings she has painted of the Roman gods, before they were again turned into film and textiles in “Tio-tio-tinx”. Photo: Amund Halsten From the Greek drama, Tenvik has derived the sound-painting title for the whole thing: Tio tio tinx, which is equivalent to tawny white. Political satire With the ancient humorous text about two men who want to rule the sky, Constance Tenvik thematizes man’s timeless desire for power, and for constantly exploring and conquering new areas. “… A good time to get a little angry with an imperialist way of thinking…” writes Tenvik in the press release. Aristophanes’ drama was also in its time interpreted as a political satire, specifically of the Athenians’ unsuccessful campaign to Sicily during the Peloponnesian War. However, Tenvik’s project is in no way dependent on such a reading: It stands on its own two feet as a sensory overall experience. SEE FROM BOTH SIDES: A strength is that the weaves work great inside out, so the installation can be experienced from different angles. I also like the guardians, with their bird feet, where they stand between the world of the birds and the gods (bottom right of the picture). Photo: Ove Kvavik Although the installation is loud and colourful, it bears the mark of a conscious measurement of the means of action. The placement of the elements in the room also speaks of a keen eye for form-wise constellations. The pictures, sculptures and film do not speak at each other’s mouths, but highlight and accentuate each other in an incredibly fine way. On the way out, I think that if there is someone who really deserves the honor of being a Solo Oslo artist, then it is surely the talented Constance Tenvik! news reviews Photo: Amund Halsten Title: “Tio-tio-tinx” Artist: Constance Tenvik Curator: Tominga O’Donnell Institution: Part of the exhibition series “Solo Oslo” at the Munch Museum City: Oslo Period: 28 September 2024–26 . January 2025 Estimated time: 40 to 60 minutes Published 01.10.2024, at 14.46
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“Tio-tio-tinx” by Constance Tenvik at Munch – news Culture and entertainment
