Bjørn Melhus is a German artist of Norwegian ancestry known for experimental short films, videos and installations.

Education

Bjørn Melhus studied photography at the Adolf-Lazi-Schule in Stuttgart German from 1985 to 1987. After completing his technical education, Melhus went on to study film and video at HBK Braunschweig School of Arts, Braunschweig Germany from 1990 until graduating in 1997. During his time in Braunschweig, Melhus took part in the European Media Artist in Residence Exchange through the EMARE-Program in Budapest, Hungary (1996). After completing his education Melhus went on to additional residency programs at the

California Institute for the Arts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art university in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of bot ...

, Los Angeles through a DAAD Fellowship (1997–1998), Prize of the Art Association, Hanover (2000), the

International Studio & Curatorial Program International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP) is a contemporary art institution that runs an international residency program and related exhibitions and events based in Brooklyn, New York. ISCP's exhibitions, talks, screenings and lectures gene ...

, ISCP, New York (2001–2002), the

Kyoto Art Center The is a venue for promoting the arts which is located in the heart of Kyoto, Japan. The center, a three-story reinforced-concrete building, occupies the site of the former Meirin Elementary School (founded by the people of Kyoto during the Meij ...

, Japan (2005),

Civitella Ranieri Civitella, a diminutive of ''Civita'' ("city"), is the name of over a dozen towns in Italy: ''Comuni'' * Civitella Alfedena, in the province of L'Aquila * Civitella Casanova, in the province of Pescara * Civitella d'Agliano, in the province of Vite ...

, Italy (2006) and

Goethe Institute The Goethe-Institut (, GI, en, Goethe Institute) is a non-profit German cultural association operational worldwide with 159 institutes, promoting the study of the German language abroad and encouraging international cultural exchange and ...

Mexico City (2009).

Work

In his works Bjørn Melhus focuses on general global ideas and themes and the direct effects they have on people. Many works find their inspiration from the tension between freedom and violence or repression. Melhus uses footage from film, video and television excessively and deconstructs stereotypical themes, figures and patterns of perception through means of exaggeration. At the same time, he breaks up a seemingly fixed relationship between media and audience, thus opening up the view on the essentials of human interaction. In his work he has developed a singular position, expanding the possibilities for a critical reception of cinema and television. His practice of fragmentation, destruction, and reconstitution of well-known figures, topics, and strategies of the mass media opens up not only a network of new interpretations and critical commentaries, but also defines the relationship of mass media and viewer anew. Melhus embodies all roles by himself as if he reflects "our character as something forced upon us by external relations of media and power, regardless of who we are". Originally rooted in an experimental film context, Melhus's work has been shown and awarded at numerous international film festivals. He has held screenings at Tate Modern and the LUX in London, the Museum of Modern Art (MediaScope) in New York, and the Centre Pompidou in Paris, amongst others. His work has been exhibited in shows like The American Effect at the

Whitney Museum The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is an art museum in the Meatpacking District, Manhattan, Meatpacking District and West Village neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1930 by Gertrude ...

New York, the 8th International

Istanbul Biennial The Istanbul Biennial is a contemporary art exhibition that has been held biennially in Istanbul, Turkey, since 1987. The Biennial has been organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV) since its inception. Format Istanbul Bien ...

, solo and group shows at

FACT Liverpool FACT Liverpool is a new media arts centre in Liverpool, England. The building houses galleries, a cinema operated by Picturehouse, a bar and a café. History FACT was established as an organisation focussed on video and new media art, exhibit ...

Serpentine Galleries The Serpentine Galleries are two contemporary art galleries in Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, Central London. Recently rebranded to just Serpentine, the organisation is split across Serpentine South, previously known as the Serpentine Gallery, ...

London,

Sprengel Museum Sprengel Museum is a museum of modern art in Hanover, Lower Saxony, holding one of the most significant collections of modern art in Germany. It is located in a building situated adjacent to the Masch Lake (german: Maschsee) approximately south ...

Hanover,

Museum Ludwig Museum Ludwig, located in Cologne, Germany, houses a collection of modern art. It includes works from Pop Art, Abstract and Surrealism, and has one of the largest Picasso collections in Europe. It holds many works by Andy Warhol and Roy Lich ...

Cologne,

ZKM The ZKM , Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe (until March 2016: ZKM Center for Art and Media Technology), a cultural institution, was founded in 1989. and since 1997 is located in a listed industrial building in Karlsruhe, Germany, a former muni ...

Karlsruhe,

Denver Art Museum The Denver Art Museum (DAM) is an art museum located in the Civic Center of Denver, Colorado. With encyclopedic collections of more than 70,000 diverse works from across the centuries and world, the DAM is one of the largest art museums between t ...

among others. Since 2003, Bjørn Melhus has been a professor for Fine Arts and Virtual Realities at the

Kunsthochschule Kassel Kunsthochschule Kassel (German; "Kassel College of Art") is a college of fine arts in Kassel, Germany. Founded in 1777, it is a semi-autonomous department of the University of Kassel . Notable people * Daniel Stieglitz * Peter Angermann * Si ...

, Germany. Bjørn Melhus has been living and working in Berlin since 1987.

Videos/installations (selection)

* 1986 TOAST/ CORNFLAKES * 1990 AMERICA SELLS * 1991 DAS ZAUBERGLAS (THE MAGIC GLASS) * 1991 ICH WEISS NICHT, WER DAS IST (I DON'T KNOW WHO THAT IS) * 1993 JETZT (NOW) * 1993 REINIGUNGSKASSETTE (CLEANING TAPE) * 1995 WEIT WEIT WEG (FAR FAR AWAY) * 1997 BLUE MOON (video/ installation) * 1997 NO SUNSHINE * 1997 OUT OF THE BLUE * 1998 ARRIVAL DEPARTURE – DEPARTURE ARRIVAL * 1998 AGAIN AND AGAIN * 1999 SILVERCITY 1+2 * 2000 GOOD MORNING NEW WORLD * 2001 WEEPING * 2001 PRIMETIME * 2001 THE ORAL THING * 2002 SOMETIMES (FIRE IN ZERO GRAVITY) * 2002 DIE UMGEKEHRTE RÜSTUNG (THE INVERSED ARMORY) * 2003 AUTO CENTER DRIVE * 2003 I'M YOUR TV * 2003 STILL MEN OUT THERE * 2003 FIGHTING THE FORCES OF EVIL * 2004 HAPPY REBIRTH * 2005 CAPTAIN * 2005 BEHIND THE MOON, BEYOND THE RAIN * 2005 EASTERN WESTERN PARK * 2007 EMOTION FIELD #1 * 2007 POLICIA * 2007 THE CASTLE * 2007 99 FLOORS * 2007 THE MEADOW * 2007 THE CITY * 2008 Murphy * 2008 DEADLY STORMS * 2008 I-MAN U-MAN * 2008 SCREENSAVERS * 2008 DEADLY STORMS 333 * 2008 OMEN * 2009 CRITICAL SYSTEM ALERT * 2009 SCENERY MARS * 2009 SLOGAN SERIES * 2009 RANDOM SUPERHEROES * 2009 MARS RECOVERY * 2009 BEAGLE III * 2009 HECHO EN MEXICO * 2009 TREEHOUSE #1, #2 & #3 * 2010 CENTER OF THE WORLD * 2010 AFTERLIFE * 2010 NIGHTWATCH , NACHTWACHE * 2011 I'm Not the Enemy * 2010 I DO NOT BELONG IN THIS HOUSE * 2010 THIS IS MY HOME * 2011 DAS BADEZIMMER * 2011 99 EUROS * 2012 SUDDEN DESTRUCTION * 2013 HAUSER * 2013 HEAVEN * 2013 LIBERTY PARK * 2014 HEADHUNTER * 2014 MAESTRA * 2014 FREEDOM & INDEPENDENCE * 2015 THE THEORY OF FREEDOM

Awards

* 1992 Young artist award, Videofest Berlin * 1992 Special Video Art Award, Marl * 1992 Video Art Award, Bremen * 1994 Kubo-Award, Bremen * 1998 Video Art Award, Marl, Germany * 1998 Prix Elida -Fabergé, Munich, Germany * 1998 2nd Award, Transmediale Berlin * 1998 Prize of the German Filmcritics, EMAF, Osnabrück, Germany * 1998 NEW VISIONS VIDEO 1998, Long Beach Museum of Art, (Production Grant) * 1998 Certificate of Merit, San Francisco International Film Festival * 1998 Förderpreis Film des Landes Niedersachsen, Germany * 2000 Honor "The special show" by the International Art Critics Association, Museum Schloß Hardenberg, Velbert * 2001 Prize of the Sprengel Museum, Hannover * 2002 Special Mention Video Award, Marl, Germany * 2003 HAP-Grieshaber-Preis der VG Bild Kunst, Bonn, Germany * 2003 German Competition, 49. International Shortfilfmfestival Oberhausen, Germany * 2009 Award of the Cinema Jury, 55th International Shortfilmfestival, Oberhausen, Germany * 2011 German Shortfilm Award (Experimental film) * 2011 Special Mention, International Shortfilmfestival, Oberhausen, Germany * 2011 Special Mention, International Shortfilmfestival, Hamburg, Germany * 2011 Special Mention, Bucharest International Experimental Film Festival - BIEFF, Romania * 2013 Nominated for German Shortfilm Award * 2015 German Shortfilm Award (Experimental film) * 2015 Sphinx Award, International Video Festival VIDEOMEDEJA, Novi Sad, Serbia

References

http://www.melhus.de

External links

Melhus.de official English-language website

at the

Whitney Museum of American Art The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is an art museum in the Meatpacking District and West Village neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1930 by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875–1942), ...

Bjørn Melhus
in th
Video Data Bank

Melhus' official youtube-channel

Galerie Anita Beckers, Frankfurt am Main
{{DEFAULTSORT:Melhus, Bjorn German digital artists Living people People from Kirchheim unter Teck 1966 births German people of Norwegian descent