WRAP YOUR TROUBLES IN A DREAM
Installation view "Wrap Your..." at Galleri Lautom, August 14th -- September 14th 2008. Image by Randi Thommessen. To the left: Juan Pedro Fabra "Lost at birth"" 2008 and to the right Katarina Löfström "Bow" 2006.
Juan-Pedro Fabra, Tessa Farmer, Bjørn-Kowalski Hansen, Andreas Heuch, Gabriel Lester, Katarina Löfström, Johan Thurfjell and Jordan Wolfson
The psychological process of repression happens when the unconscious excludes impulses, desires, or fears from the conscious mind. At times it is necessary to actively use repression as a defense mechanism in order to be able to shift emotions or desires to avoid a paralyzing state of mind. This does not mean that one cowardly avoids seeing things for what they are, but instead it can help to see the problem in clearer light; to deal with the “real deal” instead of fighting the ad hoc problems. The arts; theatre, cinema, literature, dance and the visual arts, are ingenious tools for a mental refuge where it is possible to “change the channel” and see reality from different viewpoints and possibly from a meta-perspective.
The artists chosen for the exhibition are emerging artists on the international arena. They all deal with narratives embedded in complicated structures and layers. The content of their works often dwells on escapism versus reality and how a dreamlike world may be a perfect remedy to see just how surreal reality is. With the artists explorations of narratives one is given a chance to use one’s own imagination to project an alternate layer through which it is possible to see reality outside of the gallery. At the end of the day this is what art can do when it is at its best – to displace and re-focus perspectives, to comprehend an actuality in a broader way.