Per Barclay is presented in a solo exhibition at Henie Onstad Kunstsenter in Norway 

The exhibition presents forty artworks from 1979 to today, including a new photographic series of Barclay's 'oil room' at the former Deichman Library in Oslo, produced in 2022 and presented for the first time.  

"Per Barclay's relationship with Henie Onstad goes back to the early 1990s, when his first photographs of 'oil rooms' were installed in 1991. It's a pleasure now, three decades later, to present this important and prominent contemporary artist at such a scale," says Anne Hilde Neset, Director at the Henie Onstad Kunstsenter.  

Soft Sweet Vortex seeks to highlight Barclay's interest in the contrast between air and liquid, which creates tension and a deep sense of the uncanny in his work. Barclay's use of solid materials, such as steel and oil, and choice of extravagant sites and repetitive formal exercises, reflect on industry and capital in their mutual dependency and entwined logic.   

"This is the first career survey exhibition of Per Barclay since the end of the 1990s. The project gave us the opportunity to expand on aspects of Barclay's artistic practice and the archetypes he has worked with for four decades. The title describes the artist's soft critique of post-war Norway, its developments and its appealing character. His use of materials reaches out to younger generations working with themes and concerns of our vertiginous times." says Ana María Bresciani, curator of the exhibition.  

The selection of works in the exhibition are collected from national and international private and institutional collections and shows how specific motifs and models have been repeated and expanded over time through various materials and formats. Barclay's artistic practice encompasses photography, sculpture and collage, and uses materials such as stone, steel, aluminium, glass, water and waste oil. 

Per Barclay was born in 1955 in Oslo, Norway. He lives and works in Oslo and Turin, Italy, and has earlier lived in Paris, France. He studied art both in Norway and Italy. In 1985, the Italian art historian and curator Achille Bonito Oliva included Barclay's work in the group show Le nuovetrame dell'arte, which launched Barclay's career in Italy and placed his practice on an international agenda. In 1990, Barclay represented Norway at the Nordic Pavilion at the 44th International Art Exhibition in Venice, Italy, curated by then director of Henie Onstad Kunstsenter, Per Hovdenakk. In 2001, he was Festspillkunstner (festival artist) at Bergen Kunsthall, Norway, and in 2009 he was Festspillutstiller (festival exhibitor) at the Arctic Arts Festival in Harstad, Norway. His works have been exhibited in and are part of prestigious private and public collections, including the Centro de Arte Contemporáneo, Málaga, Spain; Fondazione Merz, Turin, Italy; National Museum, Oslo, Norway; Musée d'Art Moderne et d'Art Contemporain, Nice, France; and Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid, Spain.  

The exhibition is curated by Ana María Bresciani.   

The exhibition Per Barclay: Soft Sweet Vortex is accompanied by a comprehensive English catalogue edited by Ana María Bresciani. The catalogue features new essays by Arve Rød, Agata Polizzi, Guillaume Baudin and Alexandra McIntosh and a conversation between the artist and the curator. Design by Håkon Stensholt, ANTI, and published by Henie Onstad Kunstsenter and Kontur Forlag.   

The catalogue is kindly supported by Torill and Erik Bøhler, Ferd, Ingela Lorentzen, Lise and Carl Otto Løvenskiold, SEB, Jens Ulltveit-Moe and Skipsreder Tom Wilhelmsens Stiftelse.   

Special thank you to Formue for support of the exhibition.
  

In brief: 
  
Title: Per Barclay: Soft Sweet Vortex  
Artist: Per Barclay  
Curator: Ana María Bresciani  
Exhibition period: 18 August 2023 to 14 January 2024   
Press preview: 10 am on Thursday, 17 August. To book a place, send an email to tm@hok.no   
Place: Henie Onstad Kunstsenter   
Opening hours: Tuesday to Wednesday and Friday to Sunday: 11 am to 5 pm; Thursday: 11 am to 9 pm  
Website:www.hok.no