Rising, 2010

acrylic on canvas, hinges, wood blocks, 210x1200 cm

The acrylic painting ”Rising” was installed sculpturally in the space with shifting light to experiment with the conceptions of how a painting is to be experienced. To give an element of surprise the visitors had to entered the space from behind the canvas. By moving in the space the viewer would go from just seeing a shadow-like silhouette to having the immersive experience of the large scale triptych. Sudden shifts of brightness and color in the animated ceiling light also had an impact on the viewing experience. The canvases were connected with hinges and painted white with a roller as if they were the walls of a room. The motif of the painting is an enlarged scene of lichen and mosses flourishing on the decomposing oak stump of a nearby forest.

The piece was developed at the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm and shown in 2010 as Oscar Furbacken’s graduation project at Galleri Mejan. Two years later Rising was shown again along with a performance and some other works in the Katarina Church of Stockholm where the artist was invited to exhibit.