Bas Fisher Invitational and Stavanger, Norway-based artist Siri Borge present "A Requiem for a Reindeer," a new performance inspired by the No Wave genre that considers how animals mutate due to the human impact on nature—such as radioactive waste, chemicals, and toxins that alter animal behavior and appearance. As an introduction to Siri Borge's work, we invite you to read "Between the Sticky and Sublime" by Erik Sæter Jørgensen.
In "A Requiem for a Reindeer," the artist uses a theremin, an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical touch, and a loop pedal to create soundscapes that gradually build and end abruptly — all while wearing a reindeer mask. This interplay between human society and nature lies at the core of the work, blending the seductive and off-putting, mirroring the impact of human development on the natural world with its unintended and frequently disastrous consequences.
This duality of the enticing and repellent is key to engaging with Borge's works — from contrasting the splendor of Norwegian national romanticism and the nouveau riche to the schizophrenic overlap between traditional sardine canneries and ubiquitous Teslas. Her sculptures using industrial epoxy nod to art history and objects like the still-life or fountain. But in Borge's work, the fountain gleefully spitting water contains a long-spoiled fish head forever trapped in see-through epoxy. Her "Resting Cod Face" glassworks make use of traditional techniques commonly associated with decorative windows, widely known for their commercial or religious applications, and present the audience with a representation of a cod's head, spiky teeth included.
Borge is an enthusiast of human duality, all wonder, and grace in one moment, then limp and gooey the next. The aesthetic appeal of the work draws you in, but like encountering a vibrant jellyfish on a tropical beach, there is danger just beneath the surface, making it all the more alluring.
"A Requiem from a Reindeer" is presented by Bas Fisher Invitational (BFI), Miami, Florida, and the Rogaland Kunstsenter (RKS), Stavanger, Norway, as part of Heat Exchange, a new reciprocal residency program offered between the organizations. This new initiative brought three Norwegian artists to Miami in July 2021 and sent three artists from Miami to Norway in May 2022 to research each country’s different approaches to cultural funding and municipal-artist partnership.
In "A Requiem for a Reindeer," the artist uses a theremin, an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical touch, and a loop pedal to create soundscapes that gradually build and end abruptly — all while wearing a reindeer mask. This interplay between human society and nature lies at the core of the work, blending the seductive and off-putting, mirroring the impact of human development on the natural world with its unintended and frequently disastrous consequences.
This duality of the enticing and repellent is key to engaging with Borge's works — from contrasting the splendor of Norwegian national romanticism and the nouveau riche to the schizophrenic overlap between traditional sardine canneries and ubiquitous Teslas. Her sculptures using industrial epoxy nod to art history and objects like the still-life or fountain. But in Borge's work, the fountain gleefully spitting water contains a long-spoiled fish head forever trapped in see-through epoxy. Her "Resting Cod Face" glassworks make use of traditional techniques commonly associated with decorative windows, widely known for their commercial or religious applications, and present the audience with a representation of a cod's head, spiky teeth included.
Borge is an enthusiast of human duality, all wonder, and grace in one moment, then limp and gooey the next. The aesthetic appeal of the work draws you in, but like encountering a vibrant jellyfish on a tropical beach, there is danger just beneath the surface, making it all the more alluring.
"A Requiem from a Reindeer" is presented by Bas Fisher Invitational (BFI), Miami, Florida, and the Rogaland Kunstsenter (RKS), Stavanger, Norway, as part of Heat Exchange, a new reciprocal residency program offered between the organizations. This new initiative brought three Norwegian artists to Miami in July 2021 and sent three artists from Miami to Norway in May 2022 to research each country’s different approaches to cultural funding and municipal-artist partnership.
- Category
- STAVANGER
- Tags
- Siri Borge, NADA Miami, Bas Fisher Invitational
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