Untitled (Jerry Can Rod)

This work by the renowned Norwegian artist and writer Faldbakken consists of 17 Jerry cans brutally pierced by a metal rod. FaldbakkenÂ’s diverse practice encompasses works on canvas, sculpture, film and installation. He has appropriated the languages of underground and youth cultures, vandalism and extremism, fusing these effortlessly with the language of fine art. The Jerry can was first manufactured for the German military in 1939 and was used for carrying fuel. As a readymade, it is particularly potent and evokes a strong sense of danger. The inherent violence which is often at the heart of FaldbakkenÂ’s practice, is manifest in the use of steel rods which pierce, grip and compress the cans. The anarchic, vandalistic, violent language of the urban environment interests Faldbakken, and contextualises much of his work. Blurring the line between the readymade and fabricated sculpture, this work exists simultaneously as a reference to the real world of metropolitan dystopia and as pure formal gesture. This work was presented by the Art Fund through Art Fund International.