Torbjørn Rødland
Torbjørn Rødland constructs portraits, still lifes and landscapes, which simultaneously inhabit and defamiliarise the realm of the everyday. Embedded with multiple symbols and meanings, his staged scenarios "keep you in the process of looking," to quote the artist, revealing layers of discomfort and pleasure. With a highly constructed and at times fetishistic approach to subjects, objects and materials, Rødland makes photographs that are formally acute, conceptually playful and psychologically evocative.
At first glance, Rødland’s work often inhabits the aesthetic space of commercial photography. Recurring tropes within his images include produce, such as oranges, bananas, cakes or octopus tentacles, and close-ups of body parts and related accessories. Knees, feet and torsos partner with pads, socks and tattoos, while viscous substances, such as honey and paint, coat, ooze and drip over bodies. Often held in delicate tension and balance, Rødland’s images depict ambiguous, often surreal, interactions between humans and materials that evidence our intertwinement with our surroundings.
Born in 1970 in Stavanger, Norway, Rødland currently lives and works between Los Angeles, CA and Oslo, Norway. His most recent solo shows include The Touch That Made You, organized by Hans-Ulrich Obrist, at Fondazione Prada in Milan (2018); Backlit Rainbow at David Kordansky Gallery, in …
Torbjørn Rødland constructs portraits, still lifes and landscapes, which simultaneously inhabit and defamiliarise the realm of the everyday. Embedded with multiple symbols and meanings, his staged scenarios "keep you in the process of looking," to quote the artist, revealing layers of discomfort and pleasure. With a highly constructed and at times fetishistic approach to subjects, objects and materials, Rødland makes photographs that are formally acute, conceptually playful and psychologically evocative.
At first glance, Rødland’s work often inhabits the aesthetic space of commercial photography. Recurring tropes within his images include produce, such as oranges, bananas, cakes or octopus tentacles, and close-ups of body parts and related accessories. Knees, feet and torsos partner with pads, socks and tattoos, while viscous substances, such as honey and paint, coat, ooze and drip over bodies. Often held in delicate tension and balance, Rødland’s images depict ambiguous, often surreal, interactions between humans and materials that evidence our intertwinement with our surroundings.
Born in 1970 in Stavanger, Norway, Rødland currently lives and works between Los Angeles, CA and Oslo, Norway. His most recent solo shows include The Touch That Made You, organized by Hans-Ulrich Obrist, at Fondazione Prada in Milan (2018); Backlit Rainbow at David Kordansky Gallery, in Los Angeles (2018); and First Abduction Attempt and Other Photographs at Eva Presenhuber in New York.
Text courtesy of Serpentine Galleries
