Ekebergparken sculpture park is exactly like one would imagine a sculpture park in Norway to be – serene, beautiful, and with a slightly eerie magic. One could apply the same description to the sculpture, which is in perfect harmony with its stunning surroundings. Interestingly, Edvard Munch set his famous screaming figure in a part of Ekeberg, a neighbouring city of Oslo, but it’s hard to imagine anywhere less likely to spark a multicolour meltdown.
There are one or two exhibits that might cause a frisson though, especially when viewed in twilight, such as Hilde Mæhlum’s stone face. A mask cast in negative, the artist comments on the communicative power of the face, and its ability to shut others out, and the white stone works in effective contrast to the dark green foliage behind. Another skilled exponent of stone sculpture is Knut Steen, whose residence in the marble mecca of Carrara, Italy, has informed his work in pieces like Dreaming Woman, which appears to float atop a 25 metre classical column. American Matt Johnson’s bronze Levitating Woman from 2012 joins famous older bronzes by Renoir and Rodin, and Tony Oursler’s high-impact site-specific installations register at the other end of the sculptural spectrum. Out of this world.
Matt Johnson
Tony Oursler
Hilde Mæhlum
Dan Graham
Louise Bourgeois
Jenny Holzer
Knut Steen
Per Inge Bjørlo
Sarah Sze
Aristide Maillol
Louise Bourgeois
Photography courtesy, Ekebergparken
