A thief caught in the act

With their colourful bird sculptures and black and white waterfall animations Nathalie Djurberg & Hans Berg continue at Giò Marconi their play with light and shadow.

Nathalie Djurberg, <i>A Thief Caught in the Act (Dirty Owl)</i>, 2015. Tavolo in legno, lampada, filo metallico, foglio di alluminio, tele, argilla, acrilico. Photo: Filippo Armellin. Courtesy: the artist; Giò Marconi, Milano
The two Swedish artists Nathalie Djurberg and Hans Berg transform Giò Marconi’s gallery space into a mysterious landscape inhabited by colourful bird sculptures on tables and enigmatic black and white waterfall animations.
On each of the seven wooden tables a spotlight illuminates several differently sized and coloured birds with small pills.
Nathalie Djurberg, <i>A Thief Caught in the Act (Blue Pelican)</i>, 2015.  Tavolo in legno, lampada, filo metallico, foglio di alluminio, tele, argilla, acrilico. Photo: Filippo Armellin. Courtesy: the artist; Giò Marconi, Milano
Top: Nathalie Djurberg, A Thief Caught in the Act (Dirty Owl), 2015. Wooden table, lamp, metal wire, aluminium foil, canvas, modelling clay, acrylic paint. Photo: Filippo Armellin. Courtesy: the artist; Giò Marconi, Milano. Above: Nathalie Djurberg, A Thief Caught in the Act (Blue Pelican), 2015. Wooden table, lamp, metal wire, aluminium foil, canvas, modelling clay, acrylic paint. Photo: Filippo Armellin. Courtesy: the artist; Giò Marconi, Milano

These spotlights do all switch on and off at varying intervals. When turned on, the visitor becomes a witness of the robbery that is taking place right in front of his eyes: all birds have multi-coloured little pills in their beaks which they are about to steal.

There is a parade of six seemingly dancing smaller birds that appear to be surprised by their discovery and that seem to run away from the crime scene; a big blue pelican strides away gingerly with his loot in his beak whereas a dark brownish owl seems to pause and reconsider her deed; a bright red and orange bird on one leg almost falls off the table while trying to escape the crime scene… Their facial expressions are manifold but their actions are always the same: to flee their discovery and the nosy glance of the beholder and to leave their sites of crime behind.

Nathalie Djurberg & Hans Berg, <i>Waterfall Variation (Choir)</i>, 2015. Animazione in stop motion e suono, 04:32 min.  Ed.: 2/4, II
Nathalie Djurberg & Hans Berg, Waterfall Variation (Choir), 2015. Stop Motion Animation with Sound, 04:32 min. Ed.: 2/4, II
Upon entering the gallery space the visitor is welcomed by four new charcoal animations with colour blocks and sound are being projected onto the entrance wall of the gallery. In these Waterfall Variations, Djurberg applies her characteristic stop motion technique and has flowing and sputtering waterfalls running through exotic landscapes populated by lush palm trees, delicate bonsai trees or dark fir tree forests. The various colour blocks that are slowly gliding over the landscapes make the black and white scenes less gloomy and leave the viewer with a sense of meditative calmness. Hans Berg’s music perfectly translates the movement of the water into sound and shows a broad spectrum from lively, sparkling and almost nervous cadences to darkly gurgling, intensely melancholic and solemn parts to very zen-like intervals.
“A Thief Caught in the Act” is a body of work that was initially developed for the ARoS Museum in Aarhus, Denmark. The exhibition in Aarhus will inaugurate on October 22nd and a second set of birds will be on display in the Danish museum.

September 17 – October 31, 2015
opening wednesday 16 September, 7.00-9.00 pm
Nathalie Djurberg & Hans Berg
A thief caught in the act

Giò Marconi
via Tadino 20, Milano

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