Jesse Enqvist, born in Oslo in 1987, is a Norwegian artist who has completed both his bachelor’s and master’s education in art at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bergen in the period 2018-2023. His artistic practice encompasses a varied exploration of various media, including drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture and more.
Enqvist presents the exhibition “Protector” at Foreningen Trykkeriet in Bergen on 10 February. In this exhibition, the artist explores the scarecrow as a contradiction in terms – an artefact designed to imitate living beings and scare birds away from the fields, which themselves feed humanity through food production. However, Enqvist reveals that the scarecrow not only scares the birds, but also humans, as they artificially recreate the human form without possessing real life. This phenomenon of the “unheimliche” – the frighteningly familiar – explores a paradox in the life-giving object that lacks its own vitality.
Enqvist interprets the scarecrow as a protector of the cycle of life from birth to death. This theme is thoroughly explored through the technique of screen printing on paper. The exhibition is part of the “Trykkeriet Print Award 2023”, which Enqvist won at the end of his master’s studies. This prize includes a one-month residency at Foreningen Trykkeriet, followed by a solo exhibition in their own gallery.