Cartoonish, provocative and brutal, the work of Norwegian artist Bjarne Melgaard embraces a kind of queer aesthetic, though its evocation of aggressive hypermasculine sexuality, with all the violence that implies, goes beyond the usual associations with the label. Installation, sculpture, and collage are all part of his repertoire, but painting—in a style that’s both expressionistic and totemic—makes up the heart of his practice.
