Hordaland Kunstsenter

The two artists Øyvind Renberg and Miho Shimizu have collaborated since the early 2000s. For several years they used the name Danger Museum, a flexible group name which could hold both themselves as well as all their collaborators. They move around and on the art scene, but not always within the art institution. Thus the exhibition Upstream is like a special appearance.

They are preoccupied with analyzing the relation we have to the image world and the mass produced objects we are surrounded by. A preoccupation we can recognize from several Asian countries, and maybe especially on the underground scenes of cities like Tokyo and Seoul. With the exhibition at Hordaland Art Centre we will be given a peculiar experience, when the artists apply this underground method to the cultural surface, by taking a closer look at things like the stereotypical perception of nature in Norway and how closely our memory is affected by mass produced photographs. Several of the works can be linked to the image world of both tourism and popular culture.

The exhibition Upstream is its own entity, but points both backwards and forwards in time. This is the first part of a long term collaboration between the artists and Hordaland Art Centre. Next year the artists will finish a spectacular paper work to be exhibited at Kunsthuset Kabuso in Øystese, Hardanger as part of our Outside programme. Thus Upstream holds both older works shown previously in completely different settings, as well as new works which might be shown in different circumstances on a later stage, unique watercolours and mass produced porcelain. All of this in a completely black gallery room.

In addition to the exhibition, a new cup in the Rio-series by Figgjo will be launched. The Rio series can be purchased in Bergen at Sakristiet café, Bryggen (Mon-Sun 10-17) in the same period as the exhibition and at Hordaland Art Centre until Christmas. 

For the exhibition writer and curator Denise Carvalho has been invited to write at text to be published on our web page on the opening day.

This is the second exhibition of the autumn 2010 at Hordaland Art Centre, where we investigate artistic collaborations in a series of three exhibitions made by artist duos. The first exhibition was made by Lutz-Rainer Müller and Stian Ådlandsvik, and the next will be made by aiPotu (Anders Kjellesvik and Andreas Siqueland).

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Miho Shimizu and Øyvind Renberg (born in Tokyo and Oslo in 1976) graduated from Goldsmiths College, London in 2000 respectively 2001. Their collaborative work is inspired from travels, and explores cultural translations and discrepancies. Works have developed in response to museum collections, the art institution, and more loosely defined social scenes. Their practice embraces collages, tableaux, and furniture, as well as music releases and design pieces. From 2001-2009 they have been working under the collective name Danger Museum. Shimizu and Renberg have exhibited at inIVA (London), Sparwasser HQ (Berlin), Art Space Hue (Seoul), Art in General (New York), Galeria Arsenal (BiaÅ‚ystok), and Preus Museum, Oslo Kunstforening, Stenersen Museum and UKS (Norway). Residencies include Ssamziespace (Seoul) and Peacock Visual Arts (Aberdeen).