PRESTEBEKKEN | Johan Otto Weisser

Opening PRESTEBEKKEN | Johan Otto Weisser
Friday 17.4.15

We are very proud to present this exhibition around the seemingly simple theme of a little neighbourhood stream, Prestebekken, or 'the Vicar's brook'. The artist, Johan Otto Weisser is next door neighbour of this stream, and has had the pleasure of getting to know it quite well the last three years, the duration of this project which has culminated into at least this exhibition. Hopefully we will see more as time goes on.

We were happy to receive people from Kristiansand that are interested in this new direction that Weisser is taking with his art. From mainly focusing on the medium of oilpainting, he has taken a new step into the realm of photography.

I  myself remember when I at a quite younger age read about his then monochromatic works that were exhibited in Kristiansand. The fact that he took that kind of artistic step in this town was in all cases quite extraordinary. Kristiansand has long not exactly been known for carrying an avant garde attitude towards visual art, or any art at all. This has luckily changed in the course of the last decades. Some would say not without growing pains. Other would comment on how extraordinary fast this process in fact has been.

We were extremely lucky to have Ragnar Evensen there, the director of the tecnical division of the municipality of Kristiansand, to open the exhibition for us. In a ten year period he has had the chance of getting to know the subject of the stream, Prestebekken, on a professional level. Also he is an ardent observer of visual art, and took to the task of the opening speach with passion and great  curiosity. Certainly he was opening up the perspective, intensifying the experience for many visitors of the show.

Such an evening is the perfect time for mingling, seeing one another again, catching up, making new plans for coffee, visits, exhibitions, writings. The variety of people that come to the exhibition is also a compliment to the artist and to the gallery of course.

Contemplation whilst taking in the visual is often a great part of the enjoyment of art. This project of Weisser also invites to contemplation, and many seem to be drawn to his work exactly for that reason.

Again, thank you Johan Otto Weisser for a beautiful show. We are looking forward to seing more of your work in the future!

You are welcome here at arteriet on wednesdays thru sundays from 12 to 16 in the exhibition period lasting till 16th of May.