Aleksander Stav

Foraging in The Wake of Wildfires

12 January - 5 March 2023

The work of Aleksander Stav, is an exploration of nature and cultural history. The artworks point back to something archaic, an origin that concerns us all, and which in our technological and digital age feels more and more important to get in touch with. Working primarily in wood, Stav explores a material we all have a strong connection to as a reference to nature.

5 large wooden sculptures fill the gallery spaces. They are charred, and appear as raw and living organisms, with their own pulse. The black and wild expression is in great contrast to the gallery rooms. Nature is endlessly fascinating and complex. Cruelty, destruction and beauty play out together in the exhibition. The sculptures are produced from unique wooden blanks, and processed on the material's own terms, to promote natural energy and expression. The exhibition conveys the terrifying beauty found in nature's own destructive power. Just like many wild animals today, early humans used forest fires to survive. This was probably our first interaction with fire, and is believed to have taken place 3 million years ago. Our technological development started here. We pulled burnt animal carcasses out of the flames, and thus learned to prepare food. The flames gave us light and warmth so that we could maintain our activity in the dark and cold part of the day.

Aleksander Stav wants to give the public experiences that increase their wonder, fascination and love for nature. Nature, in turn, is always influenced by how it is presented, and how we view it. Our ideas about nature are shaped in a world where critics of urbanity claim we are alienated from nature, and where the media's depictions of natural disasters and climate change increasingly influence us to see nature as something both traumatic and traumatized. We live in a time where the world is characterized by migration, climate change and ecological crises. As one of several artists today, Aleksander Stav also reflects on this and creates works of art that confront us with thought-provoking questions and attitudes to how society and civilization develop.

Aleksander Stav's sculptures connect natural phenomena and wildlife with man-made technology and cultural-historical ideas. The artistry is informed by nature's processes, infinite complexity and primal power. Through his works, Stav wants to contribute to a growing fascination with and deepened understanding of nature. The utopias of childhood meet today's reality in a beautiful melancholy.

Aleksander Stav (b. 1983 in Trondheim) lives and works in Hadeland. He is educated at the Bournemouth Institute of Art and Design and the Academy of Fine Arts in Bergen. Stav has shown his works in solo exhibitions and group exhibitions in Norway, Scandinavia, Great Britain, the USA and Brazil. In recent years, his artistic practice has developed to include larger exhibitions and site-specific projects. Over many years, he has also collaborated with colleague Lars Skjelbreia on the development and production of art projects for public spaces.

The exhibition is supported by the Cultural Council.