Bjarne Melgaard

The first monograph on the world-renowned Norwegian contemporary artist Bjarne Melgaard, whose far-reaching work often deals with complex issues such as homoeroticism, addiction, and AIDS. Australian-born Norwegian artist Bjarne Melgaard started his career in the mid-1990s with neo-expressionistic painting, sculpture, and installation. Organized chaos is one of his main principles in composition and content. His intense way of attacking the canvas paired with a total control of the line where the brush strokes and splashes of paint meet form a base for an explicit narrative. Covering the entirety of Melgaard’s career, this book documents the artist’s way of capturing the tension of the creative moment, which makes his stylistic role models Edward Munch and Emil Nolde ever present.  The variety of dazzling layers in different techniques gives the work a painterly quality that sweeps the viewer into a myriad of colors, forms, and expressions. Liberatory, playful, and unstoppable, Melgaard’s art provides an insight into subcultures that exist alongside the world of normality, and often investigates and pushes the boundaries of societal acceptance. Bjarne Melgaard exquisitely showcases an artist whose variety and complexity of work have been praised worldwide.

Hans-Ulrich Obrist is an art curator, critic, and art historian. He is codirector of exhibitions and programs and director of international projects at the Serpentine Gallery, London. Glenn O’Brien is an author and essayist who has written extensively on the subjects of art and fashion. His world-syndicated column "The Style Guy" has been the style bible for several generations of men. Ina Blom is an art critic and professor of art history at the Department of Philosophy, Classics, History of Art and Ideas at the University of Olso. Caroline Busta is a writer and the Editor-in-Chief of Texte zur Kunst in Berlin. Alissa Bennett is an art critic, writer, and the director of Team Gallery. Nick Vogelson is an editor and creative director. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Document Journal.