Opens Thursday the 1st of May from 6 - 8 pm

---

I often think of Summer Night (1886) by Kitty Kielland. A motif of a still lake with a smoldering darkness about to absorb the remainder of the day. By the time I manage to take in the unfolding on the canvas, the moment has already passed. Instead, the scene lashes itself to my own unsteady memories of summer nights, accompanied by a faint scent of wet grass. The artistic experience is a bit like a memory, I think. Always changing and always passing.

That's the experience I have within the artistic space of Lars Morell. Through his distinctive abstract expression, the air in the space alternates between light and heavy. An almost recognizable but ephemeral moment unfolds in front of me, and I strive to preserve it. The viewer is suspended in a dynamic dance in the hope of forming a coherent narrative. In both his painterly and sculptural practice, the works never stand still enough to be fully grasped – they live a life beyond the viewer, but at the same time give us the opportunity to reflect ourselves in them. I am reminded of candles and evaporating wax. Viscosity.

In Lars Morell's fourth solo exhibition at QB Gallery “Silk. Ribbons. Darkness.”, he continues his abstract expression driven by a clear artistic intuition. However, the latest series embraces a darkness that has previously smoldered underneath and emerged, like the evening in Kielland's motif. Instead of steering clear, Morell indulges in the dark tones. It makes sense, especially in a time when darkness no longer smolders. The paintings are created through an almost archaeological process - layer by layer he builds a space that is discovered over time. Through such a process, Morell enables an inner light to shine through the motif. Furthermore, ribbons of light float across the canvas. They wrap around seemingly nothing but hold seemingly everything.

Originally written in Norwegian by Hannah Ingvoldstad.