Spectral Figures

Flat women’s silhouettes grow out from a common core. They strive upward, their bodies tense, excited. The legs of two of the women are tangled together, the third has thrown her leg over the arm of one of the other two. We see no sign of eyes. The profile is the only part of the faces that is visible, their heads are tilted upward. Coelestem Adspicit Lucem can be translated as "Looking at the Lights of Heaven," and it is not difficult to imagine that the sculpture's three figures are doing just that - even if their eyes are not visible to us.

At the Faculty of Psychology is another sculpture, both similar to and different from the one at the Faculty of Social Sciences. Per Ardua Ad Astra is Latin for "Through Adversity to the Stars". This sculpture shows four flat heads, with large eyes and mouths. The two rings of steel crowning the top of their heads can connote a celestial sphere, or a planet like Saturn - but can also remind us of halos.

The faces have different facial expressions, but none of them are happy. One looks surprised, another seems incredulous. The next one is sad, while the last is screaming in despair. The four flat faces are mounted on top of a single small rod, so it seems you have only to give it a nudge, to start the entire sculpture spinning around and around. If you did, it might look like a single face that moved through a range of moods. The title gives hope for a happy outcome from heavyweight emotions.

Rado Dedic (1946-1999) was a Norwegian-Yugoslav sculptor and artist. He started out as an assistant to Ludvig Eikaas, and worked as a teacher at the Art Academy in Oslo, before he became active as an artist himself. His starting point was painting and graphics, but gradually he focused more on creating sculptures, usually in stainless steel. Dedic’s pieces try to showcase eternal issues, in a modern style. Several of his artworks were donated to the University of Bergen by Professor Arild Haaland.

NORA SØRENSEN VAAGE