John Bjerklie
December 12-21 1996, then January 6-31, public opening on December 12, from 6PM
Ateliers Triangle, 3rd floor, Friche la Belle de Mai, 13003 Marseille
In John Bjerklie’s work, sculptural volumes may receive repeated applications of paint, or televisions may confront drawings superimposed on their surfaces. Bjerklie is primarily engaged in a practice that negotiates different artistic languages, in dialogue with his sculptures. His large wooden frames reference various universes, perhaps outlining them—paintings/televisions/houses, or even the 11th-century Norwegian church, which informs some of his construction methods and likely carries a certain symbolism. Bjerklie also emphasizes painting itself as the intervention of a substance (in a gesture or sign) on chosen or constructed surfaces (sculptures/televisions/mirrors). In John Bjerklie’s approach, the desire to create a dialogue between the viewer and the image often passes through the choice and investment of a specific location. His project for the Friche de la Belle de Mai presents the idea of an environment as the support for this process, developed “in situ” on the third floor of the Tower.
John Bjerklie was born in Los Angeles (US), and he lives and works in New York (US). His work blends sculpture, painting, and electronic media, questioning the perception of images in the urban environment. Since the 1980s, he has exhibited in the United States and internationally, notably at the Sculpture Center (1995, New York), Lennon-Weinberg Gallery (1993, New York), Tamaya Gallery (1993, Tokyo), and Jubilee Foundation (1995, New York).
