One exhibition invites us into the frightening and fascinating world of technology, while the other takes us into a sensual experience of beauty. Having seen both, I think they complement each other incredibly well. A triennial is the name of an exhibition that is organized every three years. This is the very first edition of the Munch triennial. The second exhibition is the second version of the project Solo Oslo, and this time it is the artist Apichaya Wanthiang’s turn. Our relationship with technology Let’s start with the triennial, which has been entitled “The machine is us”. A project that really fascinates me is Silje Linge Håland’s sculpture created from a very large tree root covered with tiny SIM cards. From a distance, the shimmering cards look like fish scales, making the root appear as some sort of maritime creature. Perhaps it is a picture of our digital reality’s fleeting memory? FISH-LIKE: The SIM card brings out the beautiful fish-like surface, while such a card actually carries memories. That makes it a very suitable commemorative symbol. Photo: The Munch Museum The Triennale is about our symbiotic relationship with technology, and about how we are constantly connected to our screens. The connection is like a lifeblood from which all our work springs. 25 artists are participating here, and the lion’s share have created their projects especially for the triennial. Among these we find many exciting works of art that reflect on how technology is helping to change us – both as individuals, but also as a society. I like Ayatgali Tuleubek and Michael Rahbek Rasmussen’s project where they are trying to grow tulips with the heat of a computer. TECHNOBLOMSTRING: Technology provides warmth and light to us in everyday life, for example through streaming services. And it can contribute to flowering, as in this tulip case. Photo: The Munch Museum QR codes and VR glasses Helle Siljeholm’s installation “web3” is also interesting. Here she tries to visualize blockchain technology through a large installation. Although I can’t say that I understand much more of the abstract and complex technology that forms the basis of bitcoin and NFT, I like the three-crown metaphor that she uses. WEB OF WOOD: In the sculpture “web3”, Helle Siljeholm gives blockchain technology physical form.WEB OF WOOD: In the sculpture “web3”, Helle Siljeholm gives blockchain technology physical form. Some works are not visible to the naked eye, but can only be experienced by scanning a QR code or putting on a pair of VR glasses. By doing the latter, you can, for example, experience Bjørvika from thousands of years ago, before people settled down. The Munch Triennial thus invites us into the terrifying and fascinating world of technology with computer animation, screens and QR codes. Awakens childhood memories The Solo Oslo project, on the other hand, offers a highly sensual beauty experience. It feels like a big contrast. The Oslo-based Thai artist Apichaya Wanthiang has created a type of translucent textile sculptures. These are lit from within, like glowing tents in the darkened exhibition hall. The sculptures consist of a framework drawn with the material agar, which is made from algae from the Indian Ocean. SKINNER: I find a boundless peace inside Apichaya Wanthiang’s multimedia installation “Some Body Else”. SKINNER: I find a boundless peace inside Apichaya Wanthiang’s multimedia installation “Some Body Else”. SKINNER: I find a boundless peace inside Apichaya Wanthiang’s multimedia installation “Some Body Else”. I see tall, organic, triangular-shaped sculptures of various colors: One is shiny blue, with layers of turquoise, and resembles parts of a glacier. Another is pale beige, with golden hues, and a third smoldering red-orange like a campfire. Standing in the dark, I am overcome by a strong childhood memory. I think of the lantern parties at the Steiner School when I was little: Then we went like a huge procession of children singing through the winter darkness, and we had homemade lanterns with candles in them. Deep aesthetic joy There is also a kind of song that forms the soundscape at Wanthiang. At least it is composed of abstracted human sounds. Sometimes it sounds like a mesmerizing hum or hum, while at other times a cacophony of voices sounds like a distant conversation or a quiet whisper. Before I went in, I read that the installation is about trauma, and that the flickering light in the exhibition will provoke different levels of calm and stress in the audience. For me, this becomes a completely external topic that I am unable to relate to as much. What I myself experience in the face of Wanthiang’s project is really just a deep aesthetic pleasure: a feeling of standing in a kind of sensory primordial situation. As man has stood and looked at the glacier or stared into the flames, self-forgetful and surrendered to the experience of the elements. “The machine is us” and Apichaya Wanthiang’s installation are two different, but each very good exhibitions. By virtue of the contrasts, they mutually reinforce each other. If you both want to reflect on our own time, but also lose yourself in a self-forgotten beauty experience, the Munch Museum is right now the place for you. news reviews Photo: The Munch Museum Title: The Munch Triennial “The Machine is Us” and Solo Oslo: Apichaya Wanthiang Where: The Munch Museum Curators: Tominga O’Donnell and Stefano Collicelli Cagol with Vilde M. Horvei, Liv Brissach, Ilavenil Vasuky Jayapalan, Nora Ceciliedatter Nerdrum and Jon-Ove Steihaug Artists: Agnieszka Kurant, Ayatgali Tuleubek & Michael Rahbek Rasmussen, Bella Rune, Cameron MacLeod & Magnhild Øen Nordahl, Cory Arcangel, Frida Orupabo, Gillian Brett, Giorgi Gago Gagoshidze, Harun Farocki, Helle Siljeholm, Hito Steyerl , Giorgi Gago Gagoshidze & Miloš Trakilović, Jacolby Satterwhite, Lesia Vasylchenko, Lu Yang, Maryam Jafri, Meriem Bennani, Pilvi Takala, Salome Asega, Silje Linge Haaland, Toril Johannessen, Victoria Durnak, and Zach Blas (all “The Machine is Us”) and Apichaya Wanthiang (“Solo Oslo”). Date: Shown until 11 December and 31 December 2022 respectively
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The Munch Triennial and Apichaya Wanthiang at the Munch Museum – Reviews and recommendations
