Tasteful, trendy, and very nice at Golsa.
The Oslo gallery Golsa has revitalized itself in new premises. From being a hidden gem in an industrial backyard on the busy Waldemar Thranes gate, the gallery has taken on a more prominent profile since moving to Henrik Ibsens gate in 2023, with several strong exhibitions.
This also applies to the slightly mundane-sounding exhibition, 'Cerulean: The Language of Color.' Finally, some art that deals with colors. And Golsa does it really well.
Wide Range
In the medium-small space near Solli plass, six artists have come together in a surprisingly coherent exhibition, despite variations in materials, techniques, nationalities, ages, and other aspects. It’s a surprisingly large span for such a small exhibition.
Patrick Salutt from Switzerland brings alpine-air vitality. Sigve Knutson’s six coral-like sculptures are placed on boxes, emphasizing the art object as a commodity to be traded and shipped around the world. Sandra Vaka's photographs explore the tension between nature and technology at its most contradictory moment: when water hits a PC screen. In the water droplets, there is a play of colors—until the screen breaks.
Ridiculously Good
The Norwegian-Swedish artist Peter Mohall's two paintings here are ridiculously good. 'Unheimliche' (uncanny) motifs where forest, sky, grass, and light play the main roles. Paint splatters are arranged in a grid pattern across the picture surface, giving an analytical, scientific touch. Humans are merely extras, set up as if playing mini-golf, but it’s hard to imagine they can speak.
Take Note of Julius Karoubi
The young Oslo artist (b. 1998) was named Artist of the Year in 2023 by the cultural newspaper Subjekt, and he creates mosaic works with strong painterly qualities. Four small works by him hang at Golsa, unsentimentally titled with numbers.
The tiles were found in the trash or sourced from Finn.no, which is 'sustainable' but also serves as a commentary on consumerism and Norway's renovation craze. Yet, this takes a backseat here, and could just as well be a practical and economic consideration.
What truly stands out about Karoubi’s four pieces is his particular gift for balance.
Art's 'Brat Summer'
Balance is also a crucial factor in Lisa Liljeström’s three airbrush paintings. Airbrush is a trend in contemporary painting, akin to an artistic parallel to 'brat summer.' Trashy working-class aesthetics repackaged for sale to a middle-class culture that is always seeking authenticity.
Liljeström uses the airbrush to transform unspectacular photographs into paintings. Paparazzi images and everyday photos become art through her process. In reality, the paintings look furry. They are soft, hazy, and almost glow.
In the piece Motor Fair (2023), based on an image of a truck taken from the internet, technique and subject merge: airbrush is commonly used to decorate cars, trucks, and motorcycle helmets. The gray color makes the focus shift to the lines. The eyes naturally follow the zigzag stripe running over the cab, coming to rest.
Meditative
Cerulean is the deep blue shared by the ocean and sky. According to the exhibition text, it is more than a color, nothing less than a transcendental experience, beyond language. It is said to radiate calm. And this exhibition does just that.
With the faint traffic noise from Henrik Ibsens gate outside, it becomes a fine, meditative experience.
