In this episode of WAS MIT KUNST, Johann König speaks with the artist Bjarne Melgaard.

Originally from Sydney, Australia, Bjarne Melgaard now lives and works in Oslo, Norway. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw and Oslo, the Jan van Eyck Academie in Maastricht, and the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam.

In his art, Melgaard provocatively investigates the self-destructive impulses of humans, including rogue desire and religion, as well as ideological, social, and political themes. He draws his inspiration from a range of influences, from Norse mythology to pop culture.

In the podcast, Johann König and Bjarne Melgaard talk about his beginnings as an artist, developing his visual identity, his exhibition in Herford getting shut down by the police, and resisting current art market trends.

Artist portrait by Katinka Hustab © courtesy of the artist