Living it up in LA as Bjarne Bare
Bjarne Bare has completed his Masters degree in Fine Art at UCLA in California, and is currently living it up as an #upandcoming young artist in LA. Bjarne Bare is, or was, one of the founding fathers of galleri MELK,- an artist run gallery space in Oslo set up in 2009 by him and Behzad Farazollahi. By now, it has become one of the leading venues in which to experience new Scandinavian photography. Their ambition was always to raise awareness of the scene of contemporary photographers in the region, and the position of the medium in a contemporary context. They do exhibition projects in-house, external curatorial projects, art and book fairs, book projects etc. Today, the artist Christian Tunge has entered the Melk scene which now constitutes a trio.
If you’re interested in discovering, even possibly to acquire works of art, from young artists that are not yet fully established, this is definitely one of a handful of interesting places to look in Oslo!
For the past few years however, Bjarne, who is also connected to Osl Gallery, has completed his Masters degree in Fine Art at UCLA in California, and is currently living it up as an up and coming young artist in LA.
The Chromarty was fortunate enough to receive this lovely postcard from him recently (as well as a selection of new works).
-Yeah, so I’m still in L.A., working from a studio situated in someone’s backyard, in a Jewish neighborhood on the intersection between La Brea and Melrose Avenue.
Here I am, in a garden, with a rooftop-terrace and a small kitchen. The sun of course shines every day, so I keep the windows open to let in the sounds of birds chirping. It’s pretty amazing really, considering the size of L.A., that living here you realise it’s actually made up of lots of small villages. The studio, fortunately, is close enough to my home in Beachwood Canyon, so I just get on my bike and ride on over here. All things considered, this really is the perfect spot for contemplation and personal growth, and a great starting point for travelling and working. I have several trips planned, for the upcoming winter and spring, to travel and photograph, but right now I’m stuck here in the U.S. as I’m applying for permanent residency, a process during which you’re not allowed to leave the country. The political landscape at present has made these processes much more difficult than previously, so here I am. It’s quite the cage, but I’m fortunate enough to have a front-row seat, witnessing what appears to be a historic shift in the international balance of power, if not an all-out collapse. And in two weeks, for a bit of local news, I am part of an exhibition opening at Sørlandets museum of art. I’ll try to connect via skype!
Born 1985 in Poznan, Poland
Lives in Los Angeles, with one foot in Oslo
e-mail: hello@barebjarne.no
Visit MELK in Waldemar Thranes gate, St Hanshaugen:
melkgalleri.no
www.barebjarne.no
oslcontemporary.com
WORDS: The Chromarty & Bjarne Bare
PHOTOS: Bjarne Bare & Louis Heilbronn
