Marte Aas - Film and Photography
2010
16mm films, super-8 film transferred to HDvideo, c-prints, silverprints, inkjet prints, poster books, table, chairs, posters
From the exhibition Marte Aas- Film and Photography at The National Museum, Oslo, 2010
From the exhibition Marte Aas- Film and Photography at The National Museum, Oslo, 2010
For several years, Aas has focused on urban landscapes. She views the development of landscapes as a process shaped by individuals, involving the gradual accretion of symbols and rituals that create social and personal identities. Reflections on local identity form a key to several of her projects, as can be seen in, for example, Torshovtoppen (2008) and Screens and Hedges (2008). These projects illustrate how the landscape is changed depending on the uses people make of it, but also how nature itself plays a part in changing our surroundings. One formal characteristic of these landscapes is that their elements are arranged into balanced and harmonious compositions.
In her recent films on show in the exhibition, the artist further develops her artistic language. Having previously explored the expressive possibilities of video, in 2008 she turned to the medium of film. What is new is a deeper probing of the issues concerning “representation” and a focus on themes of religion and ritual. This is evident in the visual structures depicted in Crop Circles (2010) and the ritual movements in Cinéma (2010). But connections to earlier works are also apparent. Crop Circles, for example, continues the theme of the series Ufo-landskap (UFO Landscape) from 2002. In both series, Aas shows a preoccupation with themes relating to myths and supernatural claims. With her development of a topographical tradition and her characteristic wealth of visual strategies, Marte Aas creates new spaces for experiencing the city and its surroundings, and the settings in which people pursue their lives. From the National Museum´s press release
In her recent films on show in the exhibition, the artist further develops her artistic language. Having previously explored the expressive possibilities of video, in 2008 she turned to the medium of film. What is new is a deeper probing of the issues concerning “representation” and a focus on themes of religion and ritual. This is evident in the visual structures depicted in Crop Circles (2010) and the ritual movements in Cinéma (2010). But connections to earlier works are also apparent. Crop Circles, for example, continues the theme of the series Ufo-landskap (UFO Landscape) from 2002. In both series, Aas shows a preoccupation with themes relating to myths and supernatural claims. With her development of a topographical tradition and her characteristic wealth of visual strategies, Marte Aas creates new spaces for experiencing the city and its surroundings, and the settings in which people pursue their lives. From the National Museum´s press release
