Søren Sejr: In the dark the mirror is never black
CURATORIAL TEXT
Søren Sejr (1981) is a Danish artist based in Aarhus, Denmark. In the night the mirror is never black is Sejr's first solo exhibition in Norway.
Sejr works primarily in a non-figurative visual language, apparently with crystalline and geometric forms as a starting point. The references to the modernist tradition, where exploration of painting as a medium has been dominant, are clearly present. At the same time, his paintings can be understood as a serious play with precisely the modernist tradition and its self-conceit.
In recent years, his palette has mainly consisted of the color black. Nevertheless, a dynamic and vital pictorial space arises in these paintings, produced by structure and texture, by brushstrokes and incident light. The paintings change according to the light of day, but also according to how we as viewers move in relation to them. Since the paintings change character according to how we position ourselves in relation to them, they assume the character of sculpture; the room becomes important to their experience.
In this exhibition, Sejr has chosen to take this process a step further. For the exhibition In the night the mirror is never black he has painted eight smaller paintings in several colours. He has then interpreted these and recreated them in large format, but in black. Through structure, texture and brushwork, we ourselves have to imagine the colors and the artist's understanding of them. In that way, he shows us how black is not just black, while at the same time visualizing his own mental process.
The title In the night the mirror is never black alludes to Sejr's fascination and interest in the dualism man, both modern and historical, has lived in. He shows an interest in the uncertainty that arises when you ask yourself the question of how things are in reality. What is in the shadows, what can be read between the lines, what is hidden in the darkness, that we do not understand, and what happens when we do not see?
Sejr graduated from Aarhus Art Academy. He has had many solo exhibitions and participated in several group exhibitions. In addition, he has been behind public decorations. His artistry is represented in museum collections, as well as public and private collections.
More about Sejr’s artistry: http://www.sorensejr.com
