abendland

At ed. art, we are happy to present the acclaimed woodcut series Abendland, by Swedish artist Mattias Härenstam. Härenstam works with woodcuts, sculpture and film. His work often revolves around the contrast between an orderly surface and a chaotic interior, be it in on the level of the individual or of society. The opposites life–death is also a recurring theme.

These themes are indeed present in Abendland, a series consisting of intimate and slightly surreal self-portraits. In the images, we meet an elusive figure; vulnerable yet threatening; sometimes victim, sometimes perpetrator. The person portrayed is caught in sharp light, reminiscent of snapshots from a film.

Abendland means evening land in German, but is an archaic way of naming the West; the sun sets in the west – Abendland – and rises in the east – Morgenland. The title's connection to evening and darkness reinforces the images' sense of decay and doom, but at the same time brings to mind the freedom that the protection of darkness can bring. Night-time, everything is allowed.

The simple, straightforward titles of the artworks, such as Bed and Cigarette, stand in direct contrast to the events depicted in the images, creating yet another layer of tension.

The series Abendland has been shown at Trykkeriet in Bergen and Norske grafikere in Oslo, and is now part of the permanent collection of the National Museum of Norway. The artist has developed the motifs in wooden plates, which have then printed by Trykkeriet in Bergen.

Mattias Härenstam was born in 1971 in Gothenburg, studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bergen and lives and works in Oslo. Härenstam has exhibited both in and outside of Norway and has been nominated for the Lorck Schives Art Prize, the Amanda Prize, the Art Critics Prize and The Queen Sonia Print Award. His works have been purchased by, among others, the Norwegian National Museum and Stavanger Art Museum.