Galleri Brandstrup is delighted to welcome the fall season with a solo exhibition with Lotte Konow Lund titled “One Eye Open”. In her first solo show in the Oslo area since "Hold everything dear" at the Henie Onstad Art Center in 2016, Lotte Konow Lund showcases large painted collages in gouache, ink drawings, glass sculptures, and a dedicated series of ink drawings created for Cecilie Løveid's upcoming book, "Piggeple". The exhibition will open on Thursday, August 17th at 6 PM.
"The collages and ink drawings were created over a period of four years. I have been intrigued by how, like paper, people can break apart and then be put back together to form a different entirety," says Konow Lund. "–We live in a time where it is essential to reconcile with our vulnerability and regard it as a strength and an opportunity. I wanted to create objects that demonstrate this."
In the collages titled Iben, Konow Lund observed her sleeping daughter. "At one point, I became interested in lullabies, something most of us associate with providing comfort to children. But it's not always the case. In some places and at certain times in the world, surrendering consciousness for a while is associated with danger, even for children. In the most famous Russian lullaby, 'Bayu Bayushki,' the child is asked to stay away from the edge of the bed while sleeping because the wolf is there, ready to take the child into the forest."
"We are many who feel a strong unease about the future now. The climate crisis, war, and the attention economy, which increasingly invades our consciousness and lives, make having children even more vulnerable, if that's possible. I wonder if people will be able to close their eyes and rest in the future, or if we will always have to be on guard."
Other collages, Omar and Adit are portraits of two boys from Romsås, where Konow Lund worked as a volunteer at the youth club, Raven, for a year.
Additionally, there are pieces titled My sister's new breast and In the night, both referring to Konow Lund's sister, who underwent breast cancer and subsequently developed insomnia.
The solid glass sculptures called Sleepingstones have a base crafted by ceramist Elisabeth von Krogh, and they are inspired by ancient pillows from Egypt and China.
"The glass stones are cast from stones borrowed from the protected cobblestone beach at Mølen in Vestfold, which were later returned. Each stone has one closed eye and is illuminated by a light placed in the base. They are sleeping sculptures," says Konow Lund, "–and carriers of the place they come from. Those who have visited Mølen will not forget it; it is, how shall I put it – a majestic nature and cultural experience. It is almost unbelievably vast and open, covered with what looks like millions of round stones. In the middle, there is a burial site with large burial mounds, some dating back to the Bronze Age, all surrounded by the wind and the constant sound of the sea. You connect with something there that you don't find in many other places. I wanted to capture the essence of the place in the stones and then in the glass castings, much like we carry memories in our own bodies."
For three years, the renowned poet Cecilie Løveid and Lotte Konow Lund have engaged in a close dialogue about Løveid's upcoming book, "Piggeple." The publisher Kolon describes it as follows:
"In 'Piggeple,' Løveid continues her unique fusion of poetry, art, politics, humor, problems, and personal life – also known as 'the Løveidian.' In this book, Løveid presents herself as a cultural archaeologist: the themes are almost endless, and the motifs varied. Nonetheless, it's worth mentioning that Francis Bacon and the drug Piggeple (Datura stramonium) feature in the book's timeline. One section revolves around Francis Bacon's work 'Triptych,' inspired by Aeschylus' 'Oresteia,' which was recently sold out of Norway for an enormous sum – and here, Løveid writes insightfully about art, capital, loss, and understanding. The book is illustrated by Lotte Konow Lund."
Cecilie Løveid will be present at the opening and will read from "Piggeple."