November 17, 2008 by Zhu
Xiaolin
Filed under Gallery
Events
TCG Nordica-UP Gallery
Opening: 2008.11.24, Monday, 20:00
Duration: 2008.11.24-12.24
tel: 0871-4114962
Add: TCG Nordica, Chuangku, Xibalu 101#, Kunming
www.tcgnordica.com
Carl G Torstenson born in Uppsala Sweden 1948
As an artist he is working with sculpture, painting, and installations, mostly
conseptional art or art projects on a theme. In theater and museums he is
working with stage design, costumes and more. He started at the theater forty
years ago and had his first solo art exhibition in -73.
Since then there have been around fifty solo exhibitions, mostly in Sweden, but
also in the USA, Germany, Finland , Japan and Norway.
Since -90 he has worked with his art only and “śmaking rooms”ť is now in
the center.
At first it was mostly impressionistic painting but from the beginning of the
eighties the inner rooms slowly took over and the work with the theater and the
art of his own was more and more influenced by each other.
He is now working in all materials, often in long time projects, often with
existential problems like in the rice project Grow Now ltd that contains
questions like who has the right to take patent on living materials, as seeds
for example.
Rice is a material that he has bin using since -98 in many installations in
various themes. One was about the Iraq war called “This is not a wedding”
Other themes have been “Predestination”, what are we borne to be or how to
live and similar questions.
All the exhibitions usually contain both paintings and objects.
Participation in many international projects like Eventa II, III, and V on
themes like: Wind,ť Water and Mankindť.
During the year -07 there were many art projects in churches, and the latest was
in Nykoping called “To measure what can not be measured”ť.
Carl G Torstenson has also made many public assignments and then often used
sculpture and worked in different materials as a medium.
For the artwork and coming exhibitions in Kunming and Sweden Carl G Torstenson
has together with the artist Annika Haglund collected local materials like soil
and indigo and other nature materials during a two and a half months journey,
all the way by train and bus from Sweden through Mongolia to Beijing, Inner
Mongolia and then small mountain villages down to Kunming.
Exhibition in TCG Nordica KUNMING
by Carl G Torstenson
“LIVE FROM EARTH”
The impressions for this exhibition that I have called “LIVE FROM EARTH”ť
comes from the present yourney through Asia together with the artist Annika
Haglund
The trip began more than three months ago in Sweden and then we have been
traveling with train all the way through Russia , Mongolia , Inner Mongolia, to
Beijing and all the way down to Kunming where we are right now and have been
working in a studio at TCG Nordica, a fantastic and inspiring place to work at
and with so very nice people !
For this artwork, my exhibition in Kunming and also for coming projects in
Sweden we have during this long trip collected local materials such as earth in
different colors like the deep red Yunnan earth , Indigo blue and other nature
materials for to use in the artwork in different ways.
Along the way we have been staying long periods in small villages high up in the
mountains and there lived by the minority people. We have seen them working with
the earth. Planting and digging, weaving, dying the fabrics and many other
things coming from nature. Working hard along the steep mountainsides and there
making it possible to grow on the small terraces. Also seen they carry
everything they need up and down these mountains.
This project is a tribute for to grow the earth as well as for them who work
with the earth and live in symbiosis with nature.
Then there is this question, is it the last generation we now see that is
putting there hands in the earth or in the pot of Indigo?
.On the feather way through the Asian countries, that after Kunming goes to
Vietnam and Cambodia the plan is to work and do small installations along the
way where it is possible. The plan is also then to use local materials.
