Sverre Gullesen (NO)

In the exhibition Strategier i betong Sverre Gullesen's work is presented in dialogue with archival images from Erling Viksjø's work, previously shown at the Norwegian National Museum in the exhibition Bevegelser i Betong.

The works of Sverre Gullesen have a material-based starting point. Gullesen presents sculptures in concrete cast on site, where textile forms are filled with concrete. The gravity of the mass pulls the contents down into the form, and the material's density in combination with the drying process affects the shape and tactility of the sculpture. Along with Gullesen's work, archival photos from Erling Viksjøs from the National Museum's archive are shown. Viksjø's buildings challenge many people's ideas about what constitutes ugly and beautiful architecture. He was innovative and had a unique collaboration with several artists. The archive images look at his extensive collaboration with artists such as Carl Nesjar and Pablo Picasso.

Bodø is a city in great change, with the new city airport project as one of the largest urban development projects in Norway in the coming decades. Heavy infrastructure with runways and terminal buildings will be developed for urban development purposes and cultural arenas. While the concrete installations in the new district belong to the city's Cold War history, the center of Bodø is represented by some of the most iconic concrete buildings in Norwegian architectural history. The exhibition is developed in collaboration with Bodø kommune / Ingrid Bay-Larsen/Hanna Landfald Hanssen. 

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Sverre Gullesen has an education from the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts Visuels de la Cambre in Brussels and the Art Academy in Oslo (KHiO). He works interdisciplinary with performance, sculpture, text, installation and video. Together with Kristian Øverland Dahl and Steinar Haga Kristensen, he formed the artist group D.O.R from 2006–2015.

 

Erling Viksjø (1910–1971) was one of the most important architects in Norway in the period after the Second World War, known for his concrete and high-rise architecture. He helped shape Norwegian architecture in the post-war period until his death. Viksjø is considered one of the foremost architects within Norwegian modernism. The high-rise block in the government quarter is considered his most important work.