On 16 February, on a packed fourth floor at Aperture Foundation’s Chelsea gallery, Torbjørn Rødland deconstructed the process and inspiration behind his famed subversive photographs. A Norwegian photographer living in LA, Rødland is known for his sensual still lifes and abilities in elevating the banality of everyday objects.
After discussing photographers like Cindy Sherman and Christopher Williams, Rødland presented what he called 'The Evolution of the LOLcat', a development from the dry, distant language-conscious cat-memes of ten years ago to the life goals-hashtags of today. Rødland sees this as a mainstream confirmation of his overall project of personally investing in ridiculous popular images.
His background in art-as-linguistic-analysis manifests itself in Practical Photography, a 4-by-5-ft chromogenic print of stacked magazines, spines facing outward to be read. Rødland explains that even though the world of popular image-making here is reduced to words and headings, nearby photographs in the same exhibition has him taking on these clichés of amateur photography to see if they can still somehow hold meaning.
‘When I first saw Cindy Sherman’s early original prints, I was disappointed because there was nothing more to see than what I already had seen in small reproductions,' he says. 'I try to make my prints large enough to reveal more detail, but not so large that the medium itself is exposed.’
Open exploration is key to Rødland’s photography. He plays around with different ideas and configurations to see what is revealed. This is how he became fixated on opposites: ‘In the same way you might learn more about yourself by dating different people, I like to pair different objects and photographs and see how they react in their new context.’
He also shared the logic behind his use of commonplace items, such as a birthday cakes, cassette tapes and napkins. ‘I know, of course, that these are highly unoriginal forms,' he says. ‘But instead of referring to an original, I try to compete with it to see if these motifs can still carry meaning.'
Rødland plans to revisit American politics in the upcoming year – he has previously focused on Reagan and the 2004 Presidential Election. He sees the current election as an excellent example of 'clashing world views and these different states of consciousness, so there will be something,' he says. 'I am just not sure when.’
When Rødland studied art, he was told he could either be a conceptual artist or a romantic artist. Feeling restricted by the alternatives, he tried to take on tactility, psychology and interiority while building on conceptual art. Pictured: Last Blue Yodel, 2010–14.
The photographer strives to convey an element of ‘moist’ in his photographs. ‘I want to also integrate basic bodily functions, and bodily liquids,’ he says. Pictured left: Golden Lager, 2007. Right: Party Hat, 2011.
Often, when Rødland has a model that can’t take directions, such as a baby or, in this case, a puppy, he focuses on ‘a starting point that I hope is strong enough and see how the model responds, then hopefully miraculous or unplanned things happen’. Pictured: Backlit Puppy, 2006–2015.
INFORMATION
For more information, visit Aperture's website
Photography courtesy of Torbjørn Rødland and Aperture Foundation
ADDRESS
Aperture
4th Floor
547 W 27th Street
New York, NY 10001
-
First look – Bottega Veneta and Flos release a special edition of the Model 600Gino Sarfatti’s fan favourite from 1966 is born again with Bottega Veneta’s signature treatments gracing its leather base
-
We stepped inside the Stedelijk Museum's newest addition in AmsterdamAmsterdam's Stedelijk Museum has unveiled its latest addition, the brand-new Don Quixote Sculpture Hall by Paul Cournet of Rotterdam creative agency Cloud
-
On a sloped Los Angeles site, a cascade of green 'boxes' offers inside outside livingUnStack, a house by FreelandBuck, is a cascading series of bright green volumes, with mountain views
-
New York photography show sees cultural icons – from David Hockney to Maya Angelou – in unguarded moments‘Face to Face’ at New York’s International Center of Photography (27 January – 1 May 2023) sees cultural icons shot by Tacita Dean, Brigitte Lacombe and Catherine Opie
-
Inez & Vinoodh on 35 years of radical photography, being ‘two brains, one person', and judging our Design AwardsDutch photography duo and Wallpaper* Design Awards 2023 judges Inez & Vinoodh discuss image manipulation, design aspirations, and capturing the legendary Julianne Moore
-
A poignant exploration of the lives of transgender and gender non-conforming older peopleTo celebrate Pride Month 2022, we revisit photographer Jess T Dugan’s series of intimate portraits of transgender adults over 50, first explored by Wallpaper* in this 2020 article on the occasion of an exhibition at Minneapolis Institute of Art
-
Chris Levine on creating his iconic portrait of Queen Elizabeth II: ‘I was the wild card’For the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, we spoke to artist Chris Levine about the making of his iconic hologram portraits of Her Majesty. He reflects on two years of preparation, that fateful day in Buckingham Palace, and Lightness of Being, the outtake that almost outshone the original
-
Serge Attukwei Clottey on fashion, gender, and unexpected artIn captivating new portraits for ‘Beyond Skin’, Ghanaian artist Serge Attukwei Clottey explores fashion as identity and subverts antiquated ideas of gender and sexuality
-
Aya Brown’s portraits are love letters to Black female essential workersArtist Aya Brown’s portrait series featuring Black female essential workers is currently on display across nine bus stops in Brooklyn, in collaboration with Virgil Abloh’s Public Domain project
-
Masked artist series raises money for art therapyGrayson Perry, Jenny Saville and Camille Walala are photographed for a new portrait series by Joanna Vestey, in support of art therapy charity AT The Bus
-
‘I see portraiture as a means to impart a social commentary’Self-taught Nigerian painter Eniwaye Oluwaseyi addresses #EndSARS in his debut show at ADA gallery in Accra
