Bjarne Melgaard

Melgaard has always been interested in the boundaries of societal acceptance, which is reflected in his art. Melgaard’s, at times, controversial art often deals with the dark side of humanity, such as suicide, different forms of aberrations of violence, sexuality and religious beliefs. His work has frequently both provoked and shocked viewers.

The extreme individualism in Bjarne Melgaard’s work can be interpreted as an attempt to break with the banal mediocrity of an art world where everyone behaves in a way that is ‘artistically correct’. Melgaard’s art exudes a desire to be free of classifications and prejudices and strives for that which is limitless. Furthermore, he does not accept any artistic taboos imposed from outside; rather he establishes his artistic legitimacy in the most superficial and banal things.

Although the conceptual aspect is strong in Melgaard’s new work, this does not mean that the purely visual aspect is diminished. Melgaard’s powerful paintings breath spontaneity. The strong colours and sweeping brushstrokes are combined with more detailed sketching in oil and contributes to images that are liberating in their unsentimentality. The naked narrative, that is both text-based and painterly, makes the paintings difficult to ignore. The viewer has the feeling of being a voyeur who has been granted access to a stranger’s personal and intimate thoughts.

Text from the press release at Lars Bohman Gallery in 2004