Sverre Bjertnæs was formally unveiled as Britannia Artist 2022 at the official opening of his latest exhibition at the hotel, on 17th March. The Collector took the opportunity to speak to Sverre Bjertnæs, one of Norway’s foremost contemporary artists, about his life and art:

The Collector: How do you feel about exhibiting at Britannia?
Sverre Bjertnæs: I think it's nice to exhibit in Trondheim again, and I have always had a close relationship with Britannia. This is a very different exhibition format than I am used to. Here, art hangs where people are passing, whereas usually the art is the destination for those who enter an exhibition. I think it's an exciting way to experience art. Hopefully the hotel guests think so too.

TC: You left your hometown early on in your career and have been relatively absent ever since. How is your relationship with Trondheim?
SB: I have a close relationship with Trondheim, even though I moved here when I was sixteen. I’ve had quite regular exhibitions in the city, first and foremost at Galleri Ismene, but it has been longer between large exhibitions. Trondheim Kunsthall was the first major exhibition in almost 10 years. I do not quite know why this has happened.

TC: Why was it important for you to travel to the United States? What was the main gain of your period in New York?
SB: I think all artists benefit from experiencing at least a period abroad. For me, it was the USA first and foremost because Bjarne Melgaard lived there at the time, and wanted to curate an exhibition of my work. Ihad three very exciting years, but I also longed for home. I consider myself first and foremost an artist with a strong local connection, both to Norwegian art history, but also to a Norwegian natural light. I missed coming home to a more clear and less opportunistic art scene. The discussions about art in Norway are more inclusiveand not as class-divided as in the USA.

TC: You have a large production both in terms of painting and graphics. It must mean that you work a lot. How do you plan and deliver your workload?
SB: I have always worked a lot. Painting is the closest I come to a sanctuary and a natural tranquility. I do not know if I could actually call it work. At the very least, it's a privileged job. I have a studio with an employee who arranges everything, where I can just come and unwind. I always try to remind myself how great a privilege it is to live like this.

TC: In "My Pictures" you write that you have become a kind of sensible person and that the drug problems you previously struggled with have been cleared away. What kind of consequence has it had for your art?
SB: I have probably become more disciplined over the years and not so impatient, and I think that is an advantage when it comes to painting. A painting is also a kind of passage of time, where things happen at the appropriate time. I have started to trust myself a little more, and not strive as much.

TC: How would you describe your painting today?
SB: I'm still a figurative painter, but the figuration is not as clear as before. I am interested in a painting where the medium itself is preeminent and the motifs play second fiddle. I strive to create a cleaner form of painting, although I will never paint completely abstract works. I need stories in my paintings, to ensure that themotivation is that the painting technique is driven by something.

TC: You show two sculptures on Britannia. Why did you start making sculptures?
SB: I started making sculptures ten years ago. Actually by coincidence. I always like to challenge myself from a starting point of incapability. But with sculptures, I quickly discovered that it was really about much of the same thing as painting, about form and lines and space. Eventually I built a pretty large production of sculptures, even though I am primarily a painter.

TC: You became the father of a son not long ago. Have you seen that it has changed the artistry in any way? If not, do you think it will?
SB: Yes, I think so for sure. My life is given over to all the things I create, and having a child is an overwhelming experience.

TC: Gouacher is a relatively new genre for you. The first time I saw this in your pictures was at Galleri Brandstrup last year. What is it about the genre technique that triggers you?
SB: I like the immediacy of the gouache technique. The paint dries quickly and decisions have to be made faster than I am used to. This in turn gives an immediacy to the paintings, which I feel is sometimes missing in my more elaborate oil paintings.

Interview conducted by Stein Wangen on behald of Britannia Hotel. Sverre Bjertnæs is the fifth in a series of «Britannia artists». Håkon Bleken was first in 2019. Translated from the Norwegian by William Lee-Wright. All photos of the exhibition opening by Ina Stenvig / BERRE