Veronica Brovall
Man Drawer
February 7 – May 12, 2019
Man Drawer, an exhibition of the works of Veronica Brovall, uses ceramics, metal and “masculinity” as its materials. The title refers to a work that portrays the concept of masculinity, showing how images of manliness are created, depicted, reproduced and operate, as well as to an actual form of a dresser or cabinet that serves as a box to contain traditional masculine equipment such as dumbbells, hockey protections and neckties.
Brovall’s sculptures are like a collage made up composite parts from disparate sources. We recognize some objects, such as the neckties, whilst others can be perceived from the casts that we see of mixer bowls and pails. But Brovall’s compositions also weave in concepts and phenomena, behaviours and societal structures. We can read in allusions to sex, provocation, words, pornography, surfaces, penetration, innerness and outerness, vulnerability, brutality, possession, exploitation, disjointedness, deconstruction, dispersion, merger, wounding and shame. Tongues and braids are additional motifs that also form part of the narrative and contribute their own connotations and associated values. Metal and ceramics are important both as materials and conveyors of meaning. The glaze is shiny and seductive, serving both to cover and to reveal. The metal displays each construction, angle and surface. Veronica Brovall’s sculptures are choreographed dances in which individual components interact in complex poses. Brovall tells of her experiences, emotions and observations, leaving it to us to perform the analysis.
Brovall’s strong and expressive idiom arouses our emotions and brings issues to a head. In her sculptures, the artist makes a connection between frustrated and shame-laden masculinity and the widespread brutality we encounter all over. Her methods are reminiscent of the 17th century Baroque traditions that reveal violence by displaying it in an extreme and concentrated form.
The exhibition includes both a large, newly-produced installation entitled Man Drawer, as well as nine new sculptures created in 2018, some of which are free-standing and others displayed on the wall.
Veronica Brovall was born in Falun in 1975 and received her artistic training at the Umeå Academy of Fine Arts. She now resides and works in Berlin and has had solo exhibitions in Sweden, Germany, Norway, Belgium, England and Vietnam. Her works include public art sculptures in Uppsala, Helsingborg and Lindesberg, as well as in other locations.
The curator of the exhibition is Daniel Werkmäster, the Director of the Uppsala Art Museum
Bror Hjorth’s House is hosting the exhibition, Veronica Brovall - Run back for pants, between 6 February and 17 March 2019.