NATHALIE DJURBERG & HANS BERG: DELIGHTS OF AN UNDIRECTED MIND: BALTIMORE MUSEUM OF ART

The psychologically charged installations and films by Berlin-based artists Nathalie Djurberg (Swedish, b. 1978) and Hans Berg (Swedish, b. 1978) are intended to spark our deepest fears and desires. Their painstakingly created stop-motion animations, set to a blend of psychedelic and techno music, along with fantastical large-scale installations, embrace Surrealist motifs, playing on the unnerving and illogical, all while tapping into the subconscious and absurd. The three featured contemporary fables introduce seemingly innocent characters, who transform into nightmarish beings—from a sly smoking wolf to a sexually uninhibited giraffe.

Three large-scale installations continue Djurberg and Berg’s vision of altered realities. Gas, Solid, Liquid (2014), comprised of 10 torso-sized ceramic vessels, reveals hand-drawn animation and a cacophony of music emitting from within; Gates of the Festival (2014) fills a gallery with animated films, neon lights, and hypnotic sound; and the transcendental animated film The Black Pot (2013), projected on all four walls for an immersive experience, surrounds a selection of the Surrealist-like sculptures Donuts & Eggs (2013). The BMA's presentation of Delights of an Undirected Mind is the first time these works by the internationally known artists will be exhibited in the United States.

Curated by Laura Albans, Assistant Curator of European Painting and Sculpture.