{"id":31468,"date":"2024-12-11T11:45:23","date_gmt":"2024-12-11T10:45:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonnierskonsthall.se\/?post_type=bonnier_exhibition&p=31468"},"modified":"2026-03-07T17:09:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T16:09:11","slug":"erik-thornqvist-stark-sleek-hard-cold-metallic-seductive-shiny-and-out-of-this-world","status":"publish","type":"bonnier_exhibition","link":"https:\/\/bonnierskonsthall.se\/en\/utstallning\/the-maria-bonnier-dahlin-foundation-grant-recipients-2024\/erik-thornqvist-stark-sleek-hard-cold-metallic-seductive-shiny-and-out-of-this-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Erik Th\u00f6rnqvist \/ Stark, sleek, hard, cold, metallic, seductive, shiny, and out of this world"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n
\n
<\/span>\"\"
\n

Erik Th\u00f6rnqvist \/ Stark, sleek, hard, cold, metallic, seductive, shiny, and out of this world<\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n \n\n
\n\n

An in-depth text on Th\u00f6rnqvist\u2019s artistry by independent curator and writer Tal Gilad.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n\n

Stark, sleek, hard, cold, metallic, seductive, shiny, and out of this world\u2013this is the foundational vocabulary I use when approaching Erik Th\u00f6rnqvist\u2019s body of work, currently on display in the pristine gallery space of Bonniers Konsthall. However, I have around 700 words to describe beyond what you vividly see and feel, yet also to invite you to engage with the insecurities that come with the freedom of subjective analysis and mindful interpretation.<\/p>\n

Other Dead Giveaways<\/strong> A flower, a fruit, facial hair, jewellery, a piece of clothing \u2013 a giveaway to help the ones with a broken gaydar. This collection \u2013 an array of day-to-day objects \u2013 is displayed on custom-made podiums, all holding symbolic meaning in public\/ private context and LGBTQIA+ history, as signifier objects that help us to find each other in the shadows. It is what we today read as queer aesthetics before it got refined and blended into mainstream culture by the 1990s metrosexuals. The texts on the labels are fictitious diary entries written and edited by AI.<\/p>\n

Un chant d\u2019amour<\/strong> A homage artwork in reference to Jean Genet\u2019s only film- isolates the famous scene of cigarette smoke migrating between two sides of a prison cell wall through a thin straw. Although filmed in 1950, it will still take your breath away. It captures an enduring thirst for love and touch in solitary confinement \u2013 pure desire and tenderness. Discreetly, one can go and place one\u2019s face on the fumes and fantasise about being fantasised about.<\/p>\n

Standmaschine<\/strong> Previously described as a deconstruction of the European Modern project, these humanised chairs embody the intersection of contemporary and classic design. As popularity leads to replicas bought by the unaware, we must question: does authenticity matter? Ultimately, the furniture confronts us with its aesthetic qualities, challenging its intended functionality.<\/p>\n

Politics of a Hole<\/strong> Is part of a series of sculptures that reflects the historic shift toward white tiles in domestic spaces and promotes an aesthetic of absolute cleanliness while also hinting at the anonymity of public sex. These artworks reinterpret the glory hole, integrating it into tile designs with smooth curves that highlight the oppressive aesthetic of Folkhemmet.<\/p>\n

Finook<\/strong> Language can unearth hidden, dark histories. The homophobic slur Finook, from Italian finocchio (fennel), dates to a time when gays were murdered and burned in abundance in Europe – they used fennel to mask the smell of burning flesh. What does the casting of a bulb of fennel mean \u2013 like an industrial trompe l\u2019oeil for a fake fruit bowl \u2013 a never-rotting vanitas where death doesn\u2019t happen?<\/p>\n

\u00c9tant Donn\u00e9s: 1. Le Pr\u00eatre 2. Le Fermier 3. Le Fenouil<\/span><\/b> (Given: 1. The Priest 2. The Farmer 3. The Fennel) This peephole work is made in reference to Duchamp’s super problematic work \u00c9tant donn\u00e9s: 1. la chute d’eau et 2. le gaz d’\u00e9clairage <\/i>(Given: 1. The Waterfall, 2. The Illuminating Gas) that has been suggested to be connected to the death of the black Dalia.<\/span><\/p>\n

Krasch<\/strong> This pre-construction hybrid combines 3D scans of classic artworks, forming a fragmented, modern-day Greek god hero. It echoes the composition of Goya\u2019s etching, This is Worse<\/em>, from The Disasters of War<\/em>, which features a dead man inspired by the Belvedere Torso. Art history teaches us that the most beautiful pieces are broken fragments, like the remains of Greek sculptures \u2013 a melancholic reminder of a glorious past that highlights what is forever lost.<\/p>\n

Vaseline Vision<\/strong> The blurred abstract photograph, taken in Los Angels, near the infamous Vaseline Alley, captures a detail of a knock off \u201dTom of Finland\u201d T-shirt spotted in a shop window. The artist visited one of the most legendary cruising spots in gay history only to discover an empty parking lot. You can interpret this as an aestheticisation of All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt<\/em> souvenir reflecting an attempt to glorify an experience of detachment.<\/p>\n

Abseiling to a Gay Beach<\/strong> On the C\u00f4te d\u2019Azur, there is a historic gay beach accessed through a corner of a traditional family beach. The journey involves navigating dangerous boulders, cliffs, and jagged rocks. The final stage of the 30-minute trek requires the abseiling of a five-meter rope, here recreated as an artwork. This representation can be a broader metaphor for the challenges marginalised groups still need to face today.<\/p>\n

Before \/ After<\/strong> Is a found object \u2013 an illustration of what seems to be the moment before and the moment after (dinner). The Pictures Generation gesture of appropriation is shown surrounded by work that requires heavy labour. Reminiscent of a 1980s advertisement, it evokes a sense of romantic conceptualism.
\nWhat happened?
\nSomething
\nthat
\nchanged
\neverything.<\/p>\n

\n

Image: Erik Th\u00f6rnqvist, Maria Bonnier Dahlin Foundation Grant Recipient 2024. Photo: Jean-Baptiste B\u00e9ranger<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

Utst\u00e4llning<\/p>\n\n\n\n