Hybrid human-animal figures are twisted into bizarre contortions, their expressively distorted bodies approaching each other or intertwining. Even though they are separated by generations and media, the famous Danish avant-garde painter Asger Jorn and the Swedish animation studio Djurberg & Berg have much in common. Whether it’s Jorn brushing paint onto a canvas, or the two media artists breathing life into clay figures with stopmotion technology, the animalistic is one of their means of expression, and postulated truths become blurred. Developed through process, these creatures signify permanent, transformational adaptability. They point out phenomenon in our world that cannot be rationalized: desire, freedom, wildness, urges—the infinite wealth of domesticated emotions take on imaginative form here. This catalogue unites the visual worlds of Jorn and Djurberg & Berg to show the differences and the commonalities of their work as a constant of human existence.
ASGER JORN (1914–1973) is one of the avant-garde’s most famous artists. His work deals with philosophical questions that he also examined in his theoretical writings. The art filmmaker NATHALIE DJURBERG (*1978, Lysekil) and the musician HANS BERG (*1978, Rättvik) make animated films together, which are populated by fantastical, animalistic creatures. Their virtuoso style quickly brought them international renown.
