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Kunsten Museum of Modern Art Aalborg

Kong Christians Allé 50
9000 Aalborg
Denmark

Phone: +45 99 82 41 00
kunsten@kunsten.dk
CVR: 47 21 82 68
faktura@kunstenfaktura.dk

 

Danske Bank

Regnr.: 4368 Kontonr.: 13534926

Press

Two of the Foremost Contemporary Artists in the Nordic Region’s Delve into the Works of a Schizophrenic

Sep 28th 2022, 9:00am

Soon, Kunsten will be presenting a number of brand new works by Tal R and Mamma Andersson, inspired by the great Swedish artist, C. F. Hill and the works he created while suffering from schizophrenia.

Maybe mental illness makes an artist’s work more intense and more affecting. Maybe the illness peels off the veneer of the mind, leaving behind in the cracked surface fissures, out of which creativity and vulnerability emerge and move us even more profoundly. Maybe art is a ‘valve’ for the tormented mind.

 

Whatever the case, you can now explore brand new works by two of the most distinguished contemporary artists in the Nordic region, all of which were inspired by the drawings and unique reality of Hill.

In a brand new exhibition, the Danish/Israeli artist Tal R (b. 1967) and the Swedish artist Mamma Andersson (b. 1962) grapple with Nordic painting by basing works on the art of the Swedish artist, Carl Fredrik Hill (1849-1911), whose quivering, quasi-living landscapes and mysterious worlds emanate melancholy, symbolism and a psychologically unstable artistic existence – for both good and bad.

 

Declared insane at the age of 28, C.F. Hill was diagnosed with schizophrenia. The disease was clearly visible in much of his art, in which he depicted his inner visions. It was during this period that he created his most famous ‘illness drawings’, which are not only a key source of inspiration for Tal R and Mamma Andersson, but also play a major role in this  exhibition – Tal R & Mamma Andersson – About Hill.

 

Brand new works

Tal R and Mamma Andersson both helped pave the way for the new painting of the 21st century. Today they are regarded as two of the most important artists in the Nordic region.

 

“Both artists have arrived at a powerful artistic expression. Each in their own way tackles the field of tension between figuration and abstraction, based on a shared view of drawing and painting as a personal, yet universal human need to express oneself with pencil and brush. In particular, they both draw inspiration from the great masters of art history – a group, which Tal R and Mamma Andersson are now joining,” says Søs Bech Sharpe, a curator at Kunsten.
 
This exhibition of brand new works by such great artists is nothing less than a scoop for the museum. The exhibition is a collaboration between Kunsten, Malmö Konstmuseum and Museum MOORE.

 

“This world-premiere exhibition will travel on to renowned museums in the Netherlands and Sweden in the spring of 2023. We are proud to present this exhibition of works by two of today’s top Nordic artists, brimming with references and charged with correlations between past and present. At Kunsten, the exhibition is a key element in the celebration of the museum’s 50th anniversary this year, when the museum is not only looking back, but also looking forward, by featuring a number of pre-eminent contemporary artists,” says Lasse Andersson, Director of Kunsten.

 

In connection with the exhibition, there will be artist talks featuring Tal R and Mamma Andersson on the subject of drawing common inspiration from art. Kunsten will also focus on the topic of mental illness by presenting lectures by the author/journalist Peter Øvig and the satirist/author Anna Juul.

 

Tal R & Mamma Andersson – About Hill will run from 14 October 2022 to 10 April 2023.

 

Tal R and Mamma Andersson will be present on the day of the opening.