Magnus Gjoen releases a box set of six new prints exclusively with Enter Gallery.
The striking and haunting glamour of Magnus Gjoen’s work has become instantly recognisable in the art world and led him to be one of Enter Gallery’s leading artists.
Following the success of our first box set collection with Magnus, we are thrilled to introduce Volume II as a unique opportunity for fans to own this condensed collection which encompasses the essence of Magnus’s oeuvre.
A set of 6 archival pigment prints with 23 carat gold leaf and a screen-printed varnish on hahnemuhle photo rag ultra-smooth 305 gsm paper, Volume II is proofed and editioned in 2020 and published exclusively with Enter Gallery.
This limited edition of 80 will only be available at Enter Gallery from the 18th June at entergallery.com and our Brighton gallery on Bond Street.
Previews of the box set will be available to those visiting the gallery which we are re-opening with extra precautions to ensure the safety of both staff and visitors. Read more about the re-opening here.
About the box set:
Magnus Gjoen’s work draws on history and metaphor and this new box set continues his exploration into the concept of fragility with a series of new prints reimaging traditional Delft pottery in a modern light. Featuring his best-known subject matter – a skull, uzi, scarab, stag beetle, heart and grenade in a collection of 6 prints encased in a luxurious black box with a black motif.
Conventionally tough and impenetrable objects take on new meaning with the overlay of delicate delft pottery, questioning our preconceived ideas on these objects and the intimidating nature of them. Are they still as menacing with the delicate blue and white china pattern?
The associations we have with the objects and the delft pattern create an interesting juxtaposition between the 2 elements. Hard and soft/good and bad/pure and evil. By examining our relationship to these objects, Magnus gives traditionally morbid or destructive forms a fresh new perspective. A porcelain skull which could easily crack makes us pause to reflect on the fleeting nature of human existence and the fragile nature of the mind. What would happen when we throw the grenade? Would it explode and cause destruction? Or shatter into a million pieces? These unlikely combinations create an emotional narrative on the real meaning of fragile and the fragility of the person behind these objects. Who pulls the trigger?
“It’s also about presenting an object in a new light to the viewer who has innately predisposed that a specific object is negative. Beauty can also be found in a small piece of engineering like a gun. I choose the subjects that I connect with, that trigger something emotionally.” Magnus Gjoen
The beauty in imperfection
Volume II also incorporates 23ct gold leaf detail to compliment the delft pattern for an exquisite touch that adds to the narrative on fragility and what we see as dangerous and what we claim is beautiful.
Kintsugi (meaning ‘golden joinery’ in Japanese) is an art form originating in Japan where breaks and repairs are treated as part of an object’s history. Broken ceramics are carefully mended by artisans with a lacquer resin mixed with powdered gold, silver or platinum. The repairs are visible yet beautiful.
The art form is said to have begun in the 15th century when Japanese military commander Ashikaga Yoshimasa broke one of his beloved Chinese tea bowls and urged Japanese craftsmen to come up with a more pleasing method of repair.
This ancient art-form still holds a powerful metaphor in life that nothing is truly ever broken, and imperfections can enhance beauty and create character.
It is this misconception of beauty which Magnus Gjoen wants us to see in a different light, being it weapons, animals or the human race itself. The latter which is capable of creating immense beauty but also capable of destroying it all.
“They all have to do with human conditions, love, death, war, and faith. I use them to produce a commentary on the fragility of us humans, as well presenting them as beautiful objects.”
Meet Magnus
Volume II is now available online. See the box set.
