Statement
Maren Juell Kristensen

My work is concerned with the expectation of meaning and the wish for fulfilment and purpose.

I work with video, both as a device for storytelling and as a physical presence of light. The dramaturgical and material composition of the video is an essential part of the concept.

The works concern the balance between physical and imaginary entities, and the expectation of an explanation, a meaning or sense of belonging. Expectation is a key concept in my work: expectations about the meaning or function of a physical material, but also about how it is interpreted as having symbolic value, inside as well as outside the context of art.   

  
Expectation also exists on another level, namely as personal dreams and attitudes. How does one tell one’s own life story – what can one expect of life? What does success mean and what does it actually mean to fail? Where does one belong? Are expectations about the history of myself and others realistic? Are they based on the American dream, reality TV, or perhaps Paulo Coelho’s Alchemist? I am curious about the extent to which these expectations are created by my own will, or projected by mass media, or myths and folkloric traditions. I regularly use elements from mass media and the entertainment industry in my works, both referentially and by appropriating materials and symbols. These borrowings can consist of camera or clipping methods, objects, compositions or mise en scene.

As a parallel practice to video installations I make watercolours, usually in series. These are symbolic, illustrative paintings which are works in their own right but can also be read as symbolic storyboards to the video works. The combination of these two processes allows me to explore difference in time and immediateness and I  find it interesting to work with different complexities in technology. The pastoral qualities inherent in watercolours also creates a tension I find interesting.

April 2008