Painting + relief = Impression
All the pictures show simple forms, sometimes one single line breaking the smooth surface. Other times something figurative is suggested: a comb, a jellyfish, two glasses, and maybe a ship? The series Inntrykk (Impressions) by Kjetil I. Berge literally consists of impressions in gypsum.
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The decorations of the premises of the Department of Administration and Information Science protrude unusually far from the wall for pictures, perhaps as much as five centimeters. They are solid, little gypsum boards, and they all have a "hollowed out" part in the front that acts as the picture plane, while the surrounding area forms a frame. Most have a painted surface, but the main motif in Kjetil Berge’s pictures is formed by the impression in the plaster.
In the series, Berge has used a wide range of colors, but the individual paintings usually have one main color. The only picture that has a plaster white surface also has one of the simplest forms: a horizontal line that goes up in a small arch at the left end. The simple motif creates associations to the cartoon La Linea. The white surface is enforced by some blue paint laid along the edge of the hollow picture plane, and the blue also highlights the rough edges, which Berge has not had any desire to smooth out. The series appears as a charming, slightly ironic play with the formal styles of painting and relief.
Kjetil Ingvar Berge (1957 -) has been living and working in London for the last two decades. He uses different media in his artworks, and prepares his pieces in an open process involving the commissioners. He brings with him random impulses in the process towards the development of the artwork. Berge took part in the Havana Biennial in 2006, and has also made public art for the Stavanger prison, the Holte School in Kristiansand and the Imperial College in London.
NORA SØRENSEN VAAGE