Frequent storms with torrential rain, floods and landslides, deadly heat waves and drought are just some of the numerous symptoms that show us that climate change is already a fact. Nevertheless, the “green shift” is still referred to as something we will eventually implement – just not right now. The combination of the serious crisis and this paralysis of action form the starting point for the “Greenlight” triennial, which this year is being held for the fourth time in the old industrial district of Grenland. In four different institutions in the neighboring towns of Porsgrunn and Skien, works by 14 selected artists are shown who approach this vital theme in different ways. In the Skien art association we find a work by Bigert & Bergström, a Swedish artist duo who have dealt with issues related to climate and sustainability for many years. This work has something fascinating about it, even if purely sculpturally it could have benefited from a greater form variation in, for example, the thickness of the estate. The broken sphere becomes a somewhat obvious image of the globe’s vulnerability. The cracks in the surface give associations to drought. Photo: Krister Hägglund The title of this year’s festival is “the curse of the unstoppable appetite” (my translation). I think this is a really well-chosen title for a festival that is about the climate crisis, where our extensive consumption is one of our biggest problems. A future that never came The first gallery space we come to is Grenland Kunsthall in Porsgrunn. Here I wander into a dark room with several video works. A work that literally grabs hold of me is Congolese Sammy Baloji’s aesthetic film “That Future That Never Was”. Fascinated, I stand and look at the beautiful interweaving of film and still images, both from the country that in the old days was called “Belgian Congo”, and in today’s People’s Republic. Sammy Baloji’s insightful work is about colonialism in the Congo. It was shown as part of the Belgian pavilion at the Architecture Biennale in Venice last year, and is a work that really fascinated me. In the film we see traces of a reality characterized by developmental optimism with extensive mapping, experimentation and testing. People had big ideas about a future that never came true. Large areas of forest were cut down to make room for arable land, but which today lies fallow. We also see the colonial power’s old uninhabited villas, empty swimming pools, abandoned laboratories with forgotten test tubes and dusty archives. The film is about the colonial power’s own self-image as a helper and a donor, when in reality it was someone who greedily dealt with the country’s resources, and in addition allowed itself to transform the landscape as it pleased. It timely makes us reflect on Europe’s role in the world, as a small but enormously powerful continent. An important discussion Another work that makes me think is Danish Stine Marie Jacobsen’s “Law Shifters”, which is shown at the Telemark art center in Skien. Stine Marie Jacobsen’s film is about a kind of extraterrestrial being that looks at the earth with an oblique gaze from space. Gradually we zoom in on Europe and Norway, this cold, arctic and beautiful country in the north. Alongside the narrator, the film has four characters: the soil and the fox on one side, and the drill (=oil) and the smartphone (=technology) on the other. The film made me stand for a long time and ponder. And that is probably exactly what the artist wanted. Photo: Stine Marie Jacobsen Why do we humans tend to destroy what is beautiful? This question is asked in the rather strange film. Through various symbolic characters, she puts our whole way of life and our most precarious challenges under the microscope. As part of the work, she invites the public to participate in various workshops to think together about the climate crisis and the possibility of protecting future generations through a completely different type of legislation. Although I have to admit that I don’t have a great sense of the aesthetics in the work, I think she raises an incredibly important and interesting discussion. Nature’s circuit Entering the Spriten art gallery is in itself an experience. This is simply Skien’s old distillery that has been transformed into a gallery. The Spriten Art Gallery is a truly spectacular viewing venue. Various projects are presented here on each floor. Rina Eide Løvaasen’s textile “A Story is True Only When It is Complete” hangs beautifully in the cathedral-like room. In 1917, the spirits factory at Union was built. In 2012, the building was converted into an art space. I don’t know enough about spirit production to see why the house is shaped like a tall tower with narrow, tall rooms centered around a steep staircase, but as a display venue for contemporary art it is incredibly well suited. Here I literally climb from one art experience to another. One of the more eye-catching projects has been created by French-Norwegian Damien Ajavon. On a path made of sawdust, we enter a nature installation where moss and grass cover the floor, and twigs and dry plants hang from the walls and ceiling. There are flowers in water on the windowsill, and a large tree root is placed in the middle of the floor. All together are plants and growths from the local area. Swipe for pictures of Ajavon’s art: From this first room we move on into rooms where Ajavon has set up shelves with jars and vessels, where he has collected berries and plants of various kinds. Both nettles and grass hang to dry from the ceiling. Here he has his own nature laboratory, where he refines and transforms various elements for later use. Ajavon is primarily a textile artist, and the natural fibers will be used for future textile projects, says the artist. It is a sumptuous, yet thoughtful and quiet project. The work is about the cycle of nature, about extracting scents, liquids, flavors and materials from nature. Perhaps it makes us reflect a little melancholic on how little we today harvest and process and refine the natural resources. Instead, we get everything we need ready-made and packaged. A multi-voiced chorus of voices Chiara Bugatti has created a very special atmosphere on the entire second floor of the Telemark Art Centre. Here you can hear a breath as if from someone in deep sleep. The project revolves around geology, and about safeguarding our surroundings. One question she asks with her project is the extent to which we humans can coexist with nature and manage resources in a responsible manner. I like her red stone room, where through the red light she colors the vegetation outside and creates a really special atmosphere. Photo: Stina Glømmi As I climb down the steep stairs, I wonder if there is really any point in asking these questions artistically? Can we expect art to do what neither objective research reports nor heated climate activists have been able to do: to get the politicians to act? It is probably asking too much. But if the “Greenlight” festival alone cannot make a difference, it undoubtedly contributes an exciting, multi-voiced chorus of voices to the most important conversation of our time. Although the theme is gloomy, I think the level of this year’s triennial is both inspiring and uplifting. Here, the curator actually manages to create a lively conversation between the various projects, even though they are shown in different institutions spread over a relatively large area. news reviews Title: “The Curse of an Unstoppable Appetite” What: “Greenlight” triennial in Grenland, Telemark Artists: Damien Ajavon, Lara Almarcegui, Sammy Baloji, Bigert & Bergström, Chiara Bugatti, Tanya Busse, Ayse Erkmen, Collectif Grapain, Stine Marie Jacobsen, Katarina Löfström, Rina Eide Løvaasen, Simon Mullan, New Mineral Collective, Selma Selman. time: 1.5–3 hours Published 17.09.2024, at 13.34
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The “Greenlight” triennial in Skien and Porsgrunn – Reviews and recommendations
