Press release -
SATYRICON & MUNCH - A HEAVY MEETING
In a new exhibition, Norwegian black metal band Satyricon have created a musical composition specifically to be experienced alongside selected paintings and graphics by Edvard Munch. Not only does this continue to present Munch’s extraordinary work in a new light, but the result is also a monumental yet intimate experience.
The intersection of Munch’s expressionist images and Satyricon’s bassline-heavy music creates a space for contemplation that goes way beyond the traditional form of black metal. Like Munch, Satyricon’s approach is open, inquisitive and constantly evolving. The music is stamped with Satyricon’s unmistakable signature, but the piece’s style, duration and expressiveness display a new angle on their previous work.
The Munch artworks selected for this exhibition draw on existential themes, and are carefully curated in order to create rhythms and waves that work in tandem with the music.
‘In this show the public can look forward to an incredible meeting between music and art,’ says MUNCH director Stein Olav Henrichsen. ‘MUNCH will continue to offer challenges and surprises with these types of untraditional and exciting culture-clashes.’
‘“I don’t paint what I see, but what I saw”, was how Munch explained his own artistic approach,’ says Sigurd Wongraven, Satyricon’s vocalist and frontman. 'While working on this music, I have approached this series of Munch’s works in the same way. “The feeling they have left behind in me“, as he put it, is what I have been trying to evoke, and that’s what the Satyricon & Munch exhibition is all about for me.’
Formed in 1991, Norwegian band Satyricon have become one of the world's best known black metal bands. Throughout their careers, band members have worked across genres and collaborated with popular artists and ensembles such as Anja Garbarek, the Trondheim Soloists and the Opera Choir at the Norwegian Opera and Ballet.
Aloingside the exhibition, a book produced in collaboration with the internationally renowned photographer Morten Andersen will be published.
Check out Sigurd Wongraven’s conversation with MUNCH curator Trine Otte Bak Nielsen about the exhibition: https://www.munchmuseet.no/utstillinger/satyricon--munch/introduksjon-satyricon--munch/
The exhibition opens for public 29.04.2022 – ends 28.08.2022
Curator at MUNCH: Trine Otte Bak Nielsen
Exhibition Architect: manthey kula.
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MUNCH is home to the world's largest collection of works by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch. 22 October 2021, MUNCH will open in a brand new building on Oslo’s waterfront. The bespoke structure, designed by estudio Herreros, will house more than 26,000 works that Edvard Munch bequeathed to the City of Oslo. The museum also manages collections donated by Rolf Stenersen, Amaldus Nielsen and Ludvig Ravensberg.
The new museum will trace the artist’s profound influence both on modern art and on artists through to the present day. Alongside displays of iconic artworks from the renowned permanent collection, temporary exhibitions will show Edvard Munch’s lasting influence in his own contemporary society, as well as on today’s generation of artists.
Visitors will experience the highlights of Edvard Munch’s oeuvre, in parallel with a wide-ranging programme of cultural events and experiences for visitors of all ages. From its location in Bjørvika, with unparalleled views of the Oslo Fjord, the museum will offer an extensive program of art and cultural experiences across thirteen floors.
