DFK - Allegories

"Although none of the current artists of this exhibition refine the allegory in their art, or see it as essential to their practice, it is present in the form of possible interpretations." …… Finally, she concludes: "The allegory as a guiding star is in itself a fictionalization, an image of the thirst for meaning and continuity. Maybe even where it does not exist ».

Bjørn Krogstad: «Motivationally, he revolves around existential issues and the problem of evil, manifested, among other things, in the ravages of the Nazis, which have inflicted deep scars on Western humanity. In Allegories, paintings such as Evil Scene and Evil Landscape can exemplify the dark and dramatic matter Krogstad deals with ».
"In a later phase, pastost-laid snake motifs played a prominent role, and this primitive motif can be perceived as a strong symbol with partly conflicting meanings, both as a symbol of the realm of the dead and rejuvenation through the change of ham."

Karima Risk: “The paintings are divided into layers and the motif arises during the process - built up through pictorial phases that determine the final result. Risk seeks smooth transitions between technique and content, a fusion that intends to evoke a mood. ”…“ All five works Risk shows in Drammen have titles in Latin, both genuine and fantasy versions of this extinct language. By establishing ties to the classical purity of antiquity and in extension to a scientific jargon, Risk creates a framework around his images that in a way tightens them up and freezes their fleeting mood character. ”
Trine Kampmann Jensen: "Trine Kampmann Jensen's paintings are in their simplicity about the time and space that arises between two different stages in a story." the rest of the image plane. ”…” In one of the works shown in Drammen, we see in the lower part of the image an attached eagle against a large and lead-gray image surface. The bird of prey is incapacitated and passivated by the link around one foot, attached to an iron ball, and radiates both indignation and vulnerability. "

Peter Esdaile: "In his art, Peter Esdaile is concerned with themes such as identity, the relationship between the sexes and loneliness and alienation as existential dilemmas."
His works are expressive and figurative in the sense that a representative and narrative language is based on basic abstract structures. The paintings are made up of energetic brushstrokes and several textures, matte and shiny, appear side by side. ”…….
"Now he lives in Madison, USA, and highlights the American situation as a strong source of influence for his art. This orientation is also subject to ambivalence. ”

Vanessa Baird: "Vanessa Baird is known for her drawings and watercolors with a fabulous and at times grotesque expression." The works seem personal and associative in a commute between cruelty and innocence. In a work a woman seems to be devoured by nature, in several of the others a female figure finds herself in interiors imbued with abandonment, rendered in a muted color. The vulnerable and alienated position of loneliness reflects on Baird's outposts of civilization. ”

More about the exhibition can be found in Line Ulekleiv's essay in the catalog of ALLEGORIER.