anonymus pressrelease for the show "ylva ogland visar snöfrid vid sina speglar med the oracle & fruit and flower deli - this is the beginning of an odyssey in vodka"
brandstrom stockholm
2009

 
Brandstrom Stockholm IS PROUD TO PRESENT A SOLO SHOW BY Ylva Ogland. THE EXHIBITION IS BUILT UPON HER USAGE OF PAINTING AS A CONCEPTUAL LANGUAGE, DEALING WITH A MIXTURE OF ISSUES THAT MELT PERSONAL AND INTIMATE EVENTS FROM HER CHILDHOOD WITH FICTIONAL INTERVENTIONS. IN THIS painted field THE DIFFERENCE BEWTWEEN REALITY AND REPRESENTATION BECOMES EVER MORE FOGGY AND VAGUE. DEEPLY ENGAGING THE EPONYMOUS MYTH THAT CONNECTS THE BIRTH OF PAINTING WITH Plato’s Cave IS THE ENTRANCE OF THE GALLERY. IN THIS VERY FIRST ROOM, THE ARTIST DECIDED TO BUILD A REPLICA OF Fruit and Flower Deli. THIS NEW YORK GALLERY IS RUN BY OGLAND’S HUSBAND Rodrigo Mallea Lira, WHO DEFINES HIMSELF AS the Keeper OF THE ORACLE. The Oracle IS A PINTING BY OGLAND – WHICH REPRESENTS A MIRROR BROUGHT BY HER FAMILY WHEN THEY CAME TO SWEDEN FROM THE UK – THAT DELIVERS ANNOUNCEMNETS ABOUT THE CONDITION OF THE GALLERY AND OF THE WORLD ITSELF. ONCE THE VIEWER HAS WALKED THROUGH THIS grotto version OF FRUIT AND FLOWER DELI A LAST DOOR IS READY TO BE OPENED IN ORDER TO LEAD TO YLVA’S WORLD, THE UNIVERSE OR THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MIRROR. HERE THE ARTIST IS EMBODYING A FRUITFUL - ALTHOUGH SCHIZOPHRENIC - DIALOGUE WITH HER MIRROR TWIN Snöfrid. WHILE Ylva IS CONTINUING HER MAIN THEMES AND SERIES, FROM THE CABINET THAT WAS REPRESENTED IN Venus at Her Mirror, FROM THE ORACLE AND THE BURNING PAINTINGS DEVELOPED LATELY, SNÖFRID APPEARS HERSELF AS VODKA – AS WHEN SHE WAS SERVED BY OGLAND AT THE BAR CREATED IN BERLIN IN COLLABORATION WITH E-FLUX - AS WELL AS CHALLENGING HERSELF THROUGH A SERIES OF NEW cubist PAINTINGS. THE atmosphere IS ENFORCED BY SEVERAL HIDDEN ELEMENTS THAT AGAIN UNDERLINE THE ARTIST’S APPROACH TOWARD REALITY. DURING THE PREPARATION OF THE SHOW, THE ORACLE DEMANDED THAT, AS A SERVANT OF SNÖFRID, THE ARTIST AND HER HUSBAND HAD TO USE THE GALLERY AS A LIVING SPACE AND A STUDIO. IN ADDITION, THEY WERE ASKED TO INVITE SEVERAL CONNOISSEURS FOR DINNERS AND PRIVATE CONVERSATIONS IN ORDER TO BLEND THEIR Aura WITH THE WORKS. IN THIS PROCESS SOMETHING ESOTERIC IS HAPPENING WHERE THE WHOLE SPACE IS TRANSFORMED FROM A neutral white cube TO A SORT OF HUGE sterilized distiller THAT PRODUCES A LIQUID THAT IS CALLED: Representation.