monica bonvicini wins commission in oslo

hun ligger, 2007

monica bonvicini has been assigned the public commission for ‘hun ligger’ (she lies), a site-specific sculpture floating in the water in front of the new opera house in oslo. it is meant to be a monument about change, longing and hope, the beauty of the un-done as a permanent state of change.

drawing of hun ligger, 2007

‘not only do the changing daily weather conditions reflect on the work; there is also the transparency and interplay between the supporting structure and the covered-up surfaces, which suggests a revered duality in value between the structure and the façade. this synthesis of structure/skin/ornament explores the interface between nature and culture, or that of a cultural artefact. whilst reconstructing a famous romantic painting, the work also represents in a visually striking way the shape of an iceberg, as if one would have, by circumstances due to the global warming, ended up in the fjord in front of the new opera house.’ (monica bonvicini)

the sea of ice, caspar david friedrich, ca. 1823 / 24

the winning proposal is a three-dimensional re-visitation of caspar david friedrich’s ‘das eismeer’ (the ice sea) made of a supporting, steel structure partly covered with translucent diagonal stripes, measuring approximately 17 x 16 x 12 metres. the sculpture reconstructs the most central elements in friedrich’s painting, which depicts a huge iceberg that has been pushed up from the water by the sheer power of invisible,underwater forces. the work is stripped of its naturalistic representation. the shape of the iceberg is recognizable, but the individual shards of ice have been repainted with diagonal stripes. the ‘painting turned into a sculpture’ deals with issues of romanticism, nostalgia, drama, danger and beauty, and will be a semi-transparent, fata-morgana-like structure, floating but never leaving the fjord.

‘the water, as an active element within the de-industrialized harbour, is an inescapable presence of the site for the sculpture and is forcefully incorporated within the work. this autonomous island floats on the water’s surface and minimally moves with it. there are two primary operations – ornamentation and de-construction – which overlap to create a system of patterning that is at once complex and ambiguous. minimally yet constantly moving, the sculpture is marked by gradual shifts in orientation and perceptual effects that distort the perception of the iceberg’s volume. re-constructing/re-building itself into a reminiscent representation, the work embodies a space of imagination that unfolds into the ’idealized geographies’ of the iceberg, from the romantic voyages of discovery in the past to the future challenges brought by global warming’. (monica bonvicini)

see the shortlisted artists and projects here

minimal romantik, 2005

drawing of minimal romantik, 2005

‘hun ligger’ is following bonvicini’s project ‘minimal romantik’, a three-day-performance in which workers followed the artist’s instructions and modified the upper part of a cube structure in order to form a minimal version of friedrich’s iceberg. (presented at the 51st venice biennale in 2005)

architecture is the ultimate erotic art carry it to excess, 2006

considered one of the most important european artists of her generation, the italian monica bonvicini has explored issues of politics as related to physical space since the 1990’s. she is represented by galeria emi fontana, milan and west of rome, los angeles.