"Nyksund Surrealism"
June 26th 2022 I opened a new exhibition in Nyksund ART Gallery with photo collages combining landscape images with elements that both belong, but also break out of the mere realistic setting.
After having been working with landscape and nature motifs for many years, where I have been trying to capture the invisible and magical in nature, my creative business took an unexpected new turn this year. This is due to several external events that have strongly affected many of us:
- 2 years of covid pandemic has changed the sense of life and severely restricted freedom of movement for periods. The world is far more unpredictable than we have imagined.
- When the pandemic seemed to ebb, the war in Ukraine broke out and has completely turned upside down the feeling of relative stability and security in "our" part of the world.
- Ongoing plans in Nyksund for the establishment of a luxury hotel in the protected harbor area makes me wonder where Nyksund is going in the future.
I gradually felt a strong need to give the feelings of insecurity, anxiety, fear, and absurdity, a creative expression. It started with a couple of photos that dramatically put the entire tourism investment in Nyksund at the forefront - with cruise ships that landed among the buildings in the harbor - but soon took a path where the landscape pictures were given surprising and absurd / surreal elements, and wildlife took a bigger place than we usually experience on a daily basis. It is as if the nature challenges us on our values and how we deal with the world - "what are you actually doing here?"
I have seen the images with an inner gaze without being able to explain where they come from, and they are created as digital collages. All the elements that are included are photographed by me.
The images in the exhibition are printed on aluminium in formats up to 90x90 cm.
Here are some reviews and comments on the Exhibition:
"At the far end of the fishing village of Nyksund, you will find the Nyksund Art Gallery. An intimate and beautiful gallery run by extremely talented people. This year's exhibition is the third of their shows that I have attended. When I studied art history, we were taught that good art should do something to you. I must promise that this exhibition did and still does. It is recommended for anyone moving north and out into the big blue this summer!” — Karianne Arntzen, vocalist and poet
"He is in a difficult area, Tøien. Making good collages is so much more than "just" taking a good photograph. The basic idea behind a collage must first and foremost be good. He must then have elements available to work with that maintain the desired quality. Then, with good technique, he must put this together into a product that tells the story the way the artist wants, but also in such a way that the viewer becomes engaged, and part of the conversation. Øksnesavisa find that the elements are in place in Tøien's collages. He hits the mark with the tools, he does technically good work, from the ground up, and he has a credibility behind the message that elevates the exhibition. Precisely the last is perhaps what will most often destroy an initially good collage, but here Tøien is clear.” — Ulf Emil Rakvaag, journalist in Øksnesavisa
"A fine exhibition and Svein-Erik's pictures are magical 🤩 A journey of approx. 540 miles Höör-Treriksröset -Nyksund -Höör was time well invested (and money🫣) as well as fantastic living in a magical environment 💖" — Lena Johnsson, special education teacher
"Those pictures by Svein Erik were worth the drive to Nyksund 👌👌 It was in a way like a mind map 😉 The exhibition both captivated and impressed me. The same with my friend. She had to be "torn" away from there" — Rose Hemmingsen
Read MoreAfter having been working with landscape and nature motifs for many years, where I have been trying to capture the invisible and magical in nature, my creative business took an unexpected new turn this year. This is due to several external events that have strongly affected many of us:
- 2 years of covid pandemic has changed the sense of life and severely restricted freedom of movement for periods. The world is far more unpredictable than we have imagined.
- When the pandemic seemed to ebb, the war in Ukraine broke out and has completely turned upside down the feeling of relative stability and security in "our" part of the world.
- Ongoing plans in Nyksund for the establishment of a luxury hotel in the protected harbor area makes me wonder where Nyksund is going in the future.
I gradually felt a strong need to give the feelings of insecurity, anxiety, fear, and absurdity, a creative expression. It started with a couple of photos that dramatically put the entire tourism investment in Nyksund at the forefront - with cruise ships that landed among the buildings in the harbor - but soon took a path where the landscape pictures were given surprising and absurd / surreal elements, and wildlife took a bigger place than we usually experience on a daily basis. It is as if the nature challenges us on our values and how we deal with the world - "what are you actually doing here?"
I have seen the images with an inner gaze without being able to explain where they come from, and they are created as digital collages. All the elements that are included are photographed by me.
The images in the exhibition are printed on aluminium in formats up to 90x90 cm.
Here are some reviews and comments on the Exhibition:
"At the far end of the fishing village of Nyksund, you will find the Nyksund Art Gallery. An intimate and beautiful gallery run by extremely talented people. This year's exhibition is the third of their shows that I have attended. When I studied art history, we were taught that good art should do something to you. I must promise that this exhibition did and still does. It is recommended for anyone moving north and out into the big blue this summer!” — Karianne Arntzen, vocalist and poet
"He is in a difficult area, Tøien. Making good collages is so much more than "just" taking a good photograph. The basic idea behind a collage must first and foremost be good. He must then have elements available to work with that maintain the desired quality. Then, with good technique, he must put this together into a product that tells the story the way the artist wants, but also in such a way that the viewer becomes engaged, and part of the conversation. Øksnesavisa find that the elements are in place in Tøien's collages. He hits the mark with the tools, he does technically good work, from the ground up, and he has a credibility behind the message that elevates the exhibition. Precisely the last is perhaps what will most often destroy an initially good collage, but here Tøien is clear.” — Ulf Emil Rakvaag, journalist in Øksnesavisa
"A fine exhibition and Svein-Erik's pictures are magical 🤩 A journey of approx. 540 miles Höör-Treriksröset -Nyksund -Höör was time well invested (and money🫣) as well as fantastic living in a magical environment 💖" — Lena Johnsson, special education teacher
"Those pictures by Svein Erik were worth the drive to Nyksund 👌👌 It was in a way like a mind map 😉 The exhibition both captivated and impressed me. The same with my friend. She had to be "torn" away from there" — Rose Hemmingsen
Believe in the impossible
Print on aluminium laminate 50x75 cm Price NOK 4200,-
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