Maria Agostini
Staff Writer
Name: Bjarne Bare
Profession: Artist, Student, Curator
Nationality: Norwegian
Location: Oslo
Contacts: www.barebjarne.no, www.melkgalleri.no, Twitter: @bjarnebare and @melkgalleri
Age: 26
He is a student, a photographer and a curator at the same time; he would love to live between Paris, Tokyo Buenos Aires and Los Angeles; and if he could choose something to do, he would play bowling in Florida with Iggy Pop. God, he must be interesting, read on!
1. Tell us about what you do…
At the moment I’m working as an artist; I study at the Oslo Academy of Fine Art and run a gallery of Scandinavian photography. Although my focus is on photography, taking pictures doesn’t take up all of my time. I love enjoying my days as every week brings new challenges from all directions. Running a gallery, being a student and working as an artist all at the same time means you have to learn how to become a master of all trades depending on the situation but these roles are all very rewarding and they influence and shape me in many ways.
The gallery I co-run, with my colleague Behzad Farazollahi, opened in 2009 as a response to the lack of space for artists at the beginning of their photographic career. The key was to have a space where we could initiate dialogue between artists looking at how and why photography matters as art and how you can work with photography as installations to “activate” a room. It is also crucial for us to promote Scandinavian photography abroad and we are in contact with major institutions and fairs across Europe to promote our fellow artists whenever we can.
2. How did you end up doing it?
The world of photography is comprised of numerous different fields; I started out as an eager photographer in my late teens and slowly found my way in to art as I was painting before I started my photography studies. However, the road was quite a long one and I tried both studio and editorial work before settling down with art as I believe it is the most challenging and interesting course of photography intellectually.
3. Where are you from originally & what has taken you where you live now?
I was born in Poland, but have lived in Norway since I was four years old.
However, I travelled extensively in my early twenties but always ended up back in Oslo and I’ve made it my base for now. The city is evolving rapidly and has changed a lot over the past five years – still a small place, but really buzzing at the same time. It’s a really good place to be especially during the summer.
4. Where else would you ever live? Why?
In a ideal situation I would hop between Paris, Tokyo, Buenos Aires and Los Angeles. They all have good qualities at different times of year and they all bring about different inspiration and would definitely all be good bases positioned in different parts of the world.
5. What is missing in your city’s art scene?
At the moment the art scene in Oslo is buzzing and there is so much happening that it’s hard to complain. I believe that this is happening thanks to the youth scene in particular.
The city has undergone a true renaissance over the past few years also with thanks to the opening of many art galleries, however it is impossible to attend all the openings and exhibitions. Norway has a good system for cultural funding that makes the art scene less commercially dependent which allows it to stay original and unique. One thing that could be improved however is bureaucracy; in fact the complicated system often ends up “killing” good ideas. Also a broader understanding of culture among people would be a nice step towards a better world.
6. What has contributed the most towards what you have achieved?
No doubt the most important thing is seeing other people’s work and engaging in dialogue across different disciplines. It is easier to keep up a steady workflow when you see people around you working hard to put their ideas into practice. Also, opportunities are really important to maintain a positive flow and all initiatives that show and promote art are important to encourage people to keep up with the good work.This is one of the reasons why I run a gallery working for, not only with, art.
7. At the age of 20, what did you think you were going to do “in life”, where did you see yourself in the future? Has your dream come true so far?
At the age of 20, I lived in Cairo for three months believing I wanted to become a documentarist or war photographer.
Afterwards, I brought that experience into my art and now I can consider myself happy with the decision I took. I don’t believe my “dream has come true” yet and hope it won’t until I am old as pursuing a dream is one of the reasons that give you the motivation to get up every morning and keep looking for answers.
8. What projects are you currently working on?
Right now I’m working on an exhibition due to open on June 21st in a museum just outside Oslo, together with two fellow students and a professor from the art academy. The show will turn the museum and its collection of modernist art into an object to be studied by us. It is an exciting and challenging project and for me, opens up a new way of thinking and making art.
I’m also busy with the 2012 schedule for my gallery as we have many ideas we are try to realise in the coming months. The gallery moved recently to a huge, new space that we refurbished totally by ourselves. It is really nice to look back to six months ago and see how we’ve managed to make all of this happen and get the space ready to start hosting exhibitions. For this year, we have planned to host four exhibitions and we will participate in two art fairs to promote our fellow artists in Norway and abroad.
9. If you could meet any artist – living or dead – who would it be?
I’d love to have a coffee with John Baldessari and Ed Ruscha to discuss visual art and text. I found both of them very inspiring as, since the beginning of their career, their work has been simple, yet new, fresh and clever. Ruscha’s Twentysix Gasoline Stations changed the idea of how the photobook should be, both physically and conceptually. As a result Baldessari comes in with his own early text work where the simplest ideas, like a photo of a pencil left in his car, can turn into a great artwork when it’s shown alongside a witty text.
At the moment, I am very into a “less is more” approach, trying to figure out how my own work can be light and accessible while at the same time managing to involve a deeper meaning.
10. And finally, if you could do anything at any time anywhere in the world, what would you do?
Probably bowling in Florida with Iggy Pop.
The Traveller’s Corner – Bjarne’s tips if you were to go to Oslo
Art Gallery: Standard – http://www.standardoslo.no/en/home
Theatre: Black Box – http://www.blackbox.no/
Band: Kitchie Kitchie Ki Me O – http://kitchiekitchiekimeo.com/
Gig venue: Rockefeller – http://www.rockefeller.no/
Area of the city: Bislett
Shop: Tronsmo Bookstore – http://www.tronsmo.no/
Cafe: Kaffefuglen – http://www.fuglen.no/
