Fragile

Fragility and the human condition have been enduring subjects for several artists throughout history. Fragile is a continuation of the examination into these subjects, presenting several ways in which contemporary artists engage with the concepts of fragility – ranging from heightened sensitivities to materiality, allegory, physicality and the self.

Fragile includes the works of Mick Rock, Richard Dumas, Rocky Schenk and Jan Walaker.

Showcasing both photographic and sculptural works, Fragile invokes innovative use of material and photography in an experimental format to consider strength and fragility – done so through portraiture of known celebrities and abstract depictions of the municipality of humankind. Fragile, from the meditative to the investigative, illuminates vulnerability from its several perspectives.

Fragility is a manifestation of explorations into the human body, time and nature, expressed in the varied stylistic elements each of its artists. It probes the classifying distinctions between the transcendental and the corporeal, decay and emergence, displacement and belonging, and life and death. Moreover, each of the artworks simultaneously reveal and question spiritual, political and psychological forces that shape who we are. Today, amidst the terrible four-year American night, and a new ship of current racism and pain resulting from the unwarranted deaths of African American men, the topic of fragility becomes even more pertinent.

Text by Emerson Radisich  art critic, writer and editor

BIO:

Mick Rock, often referred to as ‘The man who shot the 70s’, is a New York based photographer best known for his portraiture work on musicians. He has shot over 100 album covers and has photographed David Bowie, Snoop Dogg, Iggy Pop and Lou Reed among many more.

Richard Dumas is a French photographer, author and journalist. His works have been featured in the French daily newspaper Le Monde, and his portraits include Robert De Niro and Kate Moss.

Rocky Schenck is an American photographer and gallerist, currently based in New York. His works have been featured in Art in America and Artforum and are housed in collections such as The Whittliff.

Jan Walaker is a sculptor, photographer, author and curator, currently based in Norway.

Exhibition opening: Thursday June 11th from 6pm to 9pm in Fridtjof Nansens plass 6.

Exhibition spaces: TM51 Window Gallery (Fridtjof Nansens plass 6) og TM51 Infill (Parkveien 5)

Exhibition period: January 30th. 2020 at 18.00, Fridtjof Nansens plass 6