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«Det som ikke dreper deg, gjør deg sterkere» nr. 1 og nr. 2.
(trans. What Doesn’t Kill You, Makes You Stronger)
Two separate pieces. Both triptychs. Acrylic on canvas.
In many of my works I incorporate elements of multiple meanings and functions. In these two pieces, I have chosen to tie the nettle plant to the pentagram. This is how I try to visualize contradictions and connections in nature, culture and social constructs surrounding us.
The nettle plant is both loved and hated. The nettle’s poisonous hairs burns in contact with skin. It is considered a weed because the plant spreads easily with its long, hairy and tangled root system. At the same time, the nettle plant is known for its nutrition and health properties.
I have chosen to utilize the nettle because it grows all over the world, and for thousands of years, the nettle has been used for production and dyeing of textiles. These properties have, for instance been utilized in military context, which is something I have chosen to emphasize in this project.
The pentagram (five star) is a widespread symbol of power used in various military and political contexts across the world, for instance in many flags. On the other hand, the pentagram is a symbol of harmony and beauty as its structure is an exact dissection of the golden ratio.
The golden ratio is present everywhere in nature and the universe. Even if it is not evident at first glance, this principle is also present in the nettle’s biological structure.
Both the nettle and the pentagram are dualistic in that they both contain and represent oppositions such as “perfection”and “imperfection” and “good” and “evil”, from these opposites the idea springs to the tittle of the work «Det som ikke dreper deg, gjør deg sterkere», translating to “What Does Not Kill You, Makes You Stronger”.
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