Kjartan Slettemark
Kjartan Slettemark (1932 to 2008) was a Norwegian-Swedish visual artist who was born in Naustdal and died in Stockholm. He became a Swedish citizen in 1966. His training included Oslo's School of Arts and Crafts and Konsthögskolan in Stockholm. He worked with painting, collage, plastic objects, video and performance, among other media.
From painting to plastics and assembled objects
In Stockholm he encountered influences from Jean Dubuffet and spontaneous painting. Plastics, composite objects and assemblages later became important. In Trappen (1967), he let plastic carrying letters and painted figures run down a construction staircase. The material and fragments of language form part of the work's expression.
The Vietnam work and the public sphere
Nasjonalmuseet catalogues Av rapport fra Vietnam (1965) as PVA, polyester, paper and textile on board, 102.5 × 101 cm, depth 11.5 cm. The anti-war work was attacked during its display in the UKS showcase outside Parliament and received police protection. Its political action and composite materials belong together.
Nixon, identity and performance
Nixon Visions started from a 1971 election poster. Cutting and pasting transformed the presidential portrait into a coffee advertisement, printed for distribution. The series comprises reworked images; a shared motif therefore does not necessarily mean the same technique, execution or individual copy.
As a performance artist, Slettemark could appear in a white standard-poodle costume. Moderna Museet lists Pudel with the date 1975. The live action, costume and documentary photograph must be distinguished when describing them.
Kjerringa med staven
The University of Bergen describes twelve works titled Kjerringa med staven, made during a performance at Muséplassen in 1996. Slettemark sang while painting, wearing a dress and using a mop. The works connect body, action and image, showing that performance could also leave physical artworks.
Versions, materials and provenance
A collage, printed poster, hand-worked print and later photograph may share a Nixon motif without being the same type of work. State technique, edition size, date and workshop or publisher only when the information applies to the specific copy. A number on a print does not alone document the entire series' edition size.
For performance and video, the relationship between the original action, costume, recording and later screening copy is particularly important. Examine titles, duration, carrier medium, accompanying documentation and any presentation instructions. A signature on a photograph does not make the photograph and the action depicted one and the same work.
Plastics, paper, textiles and mixed materials can age differently. Record cracks, discolouration, tackiness, loose parts and repairs without interpreting wear as intended artistic expression without evidence. For prints, assess paper, printed surface and any hand-applied areas separately. Biography and signature similarity do not authenticate an object.
Read more about artist signatures, provenance and ownership history.
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