ARTFORMS
Film, Video, Installations
MATERIAL / MEDIA
Sound archives from TV, YOUTUBE clips, film classics
GUIDING INTEREST
Bjørn Melhus is a German Norwegian media artist. His work is present in the context of the international art scene as well as short film festivals. He is known for his experimental, playful short films, and video installations. His work has multi-layered narratives and soundbites captured from YouTube clips, talk shows, and film classics to defamiliarize and exaggerate stereotypes of contemporary media. He uses his own body and face to fragmentize and reconstitute well-known figures of mass media today that open a critical commentary on its relationship with the viewers. His work is a reflection of our collective fears and memory that demonstrates how we understand our world today. Melhus’s works were awarded at numerous international film festivals and had screenings at Tate Modern and the LUX in London, 8th International Istanbul Biennial, and ZKM Karlsruhe, among others.
QUOTES
“But what we are currently experiencing in the media, especially fueled by the worldwide state of emergency and lockdown, is both spectacular and disturbing.”
Brainwashed – Interview with Bjørn Melhus about his video work “The Oral Thing”.
On Haus der Kunst. 08 May 2020
URL: https://hausderkunst.de/en/blog/brainwashed-bjorn-melhus
“ I always use my own face, my own body to lend a body and face to this appropriated sound in the work, and it’s an approach of personal critique for what’s going on in the media world, to create bridges for where we are now, where we have been, and what was our idea in the past and today.”
Bjorn MELHUS.
On: VideoFormes Artists Gallery. vimeo.com. 2012
URL: https://vimeo.com/43022648
EXHIBITIONS AND SCREENING SELECTIONS
2019 | Berlin | KINDL Centre for Contemporary Art
2019 | Hannover, Germany | Sprengel Museum
2017 | Salzburg, Austria | Ebensperger
2015 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | Kunsthal Rotterdam
2012 | Dresden, Germany | International Short Film Festival
2003 | New York, US | The Whitney Museum
BIO
Lives in Berlin, Germany
1966 | Born in Germany
FORMATION
1985 – 1987 | Stuttgart, Germany | School of Adolf-Lazi | Photography
1990 – 1997 | Braunschweig, Germany | School of HBK Braunschweig| Visual Arts
1997 – 1998 | Los Angeles, US | California Institute of Arts | Film
RESEARCH AND TEACHING
2001-2002 | New York, US | The International Studio and Curatorial Program (ISCP)
2003 – Present | Kassel, Germany | Kassel School of Art and Design
LINKS
Artist’s Website
URL: https://melhus.de/
BerlinArtLink: Looking at the Future with Bjørn Melhus
URL: https://www.berlinartlink.com/2019/10/16/looking-at-the-future-with-bjorn-melhus/
