Bjarne Melgaard (b. 1967)

The enfant terrible of Norwegian art, Bjarne Melgaard does not shy away from the controversial in his monumental canvases. Seeking to challenge the status quo, his provocative artworks frequently address issues of sex, violence, commodity culture and homosexuality, in bold and vibrant palettes. Calling into question humankind’s prudery with regards to what he refers to as a ‘puritanical’ outlook on sexuality, Melgaard’s large-scale works provide important statements on many outmoded and conservative views that are still upheld as normative in certain aspects of contemporary society. His 2007 painting Untitled (Daddy…Daddy…) presents two figures with large cartoonish heads balanced on tiny bodies. They stand side by side against an electric blue background, as rapidly executed strokes of paint flit and flicker across the surface, partially defacing the man on the right hand side. Scrawled above them, the words ‘DADDY… DADDY…’ insinuate an ambiguous play on same-sex parenting and a more eroticised undertone.