Bjørn Bjarre (N)
Nazism Changed My Life
Untitled (Sandbox)

Nazism Changed My Life
With his book Nazism Changed My Life, Bjørn Bjarre creates a link between the artist’s life and world history, and exposes a connection between politics and the individual’s emotions, as well as pointing out that there are hidden connections between historical events and personal histories. Connections not created by any established roles, but through the information available to us. It is difficult not to take sides in conflict and war. One tends to identify with either the perpetrators or the victims. The middle position could be that of a witness, but it might only be a possible position for the outsider. To those of us born after World War II, there is an implied responsibility to identify with both sides of this devastating historic event. But sixty years down the line it is impossible to take the position of that of a witness. Through Nazism Changed My Life, other alternative roles are investigated.

Untitled (Sandbox)
There used to be public spaces where people, more frequently than now, could openly debate issues close to their hearts. Today few personal, unmediated and unedited opinions are stated in public. There are also fewer inter-generational meeting grounds. Bjørn Bjarre actively does something about this. Untitled (Sandbox) is a minimalist sculpture at the same time as it is an enormous sandbox. Our relation to the sculpture is decided by the fact that its proportions are altered: it is made so that grown-ups appear big, or small, in relation to it, just as children do in relation to an ordinary sand box. By insisting on this being art at the same time as it has a practical function, it is the closest we get to a comment on TEMPO Skien 2008. Like a demonstration in favour of art and discussion in public space, the white square in the middle of the park invites us to activity and play.

About Bjørn Bjarre
Bjørn Bjarre has been commissioned to do several public art pieces, one of them consisting of 250 coffee mugs reading I Love/Hate School for the Charlottenlund Upper Secondary School in Trondheim, Norway. Since 1995 he has worked on the huge body of work Abstract Feeling, which consists of sculptures and drawing with strangely bizzarre qualities. To enjoy his works a sense of association and humour is needed.

Bjørn was born 1966 in Oslo where he still lives and works. In 1994 graduated from The National Academy of Fine Art, Oslo and has since exhibited widely. Since 2004 he has collaborated with Terje Nicolaisen, Ulf Carlsson, Paul Dring and Martin Skauen in Tegneklubben (The Drawing Club). His last solo show was New sculpture (hmm… let´s see) at Kunstnerforbundet in Oslo, Norway in January 2008, and during TEMPO Skien 2008 his work can also been seen in the Sculpture Biennial at Vigelandsmuseet in Oslo and in the project Snowball Editions curated by Yngvar Larsen.