Torsten Jurell is an interdisciplinary and talented artist. In the past eleven years, he has stayed in China for his creative works and settled in Jingdezhen – an ancient porcelain city with a glorious history of handcrafts for thousands of years. In the energetic and vibrant environment of contemporary art, the artist created the ceramic sculpture works for this exhibition - “Pranks in the Moonlight.” The sculpture works are set in a fictional marionette theatre, and the mechanical actors are of all kinds, unrestricted by time and gender, forming an assembled collection of shadow play, sculptures, light, and sound in the exhibition hall.
Torsten Jurell organized the show “Pranks in the Moonlight” based on the literary concept of a fictional marionette theatre. In the gallery on the first floor of CAFA Art Museum, there are plenty of “actors” – the bisexual and eternal creatures – occupying the space. The exhibition put shadow play, sculptures, light, and sound together, including his new works created in China and the Royal Institute of Art in Sweden over the last few years.
Perhaps some people may call the nine actors of the marionette theatre as “puppet dolls,” but the artist calls them “characters”; he even likes to describe them as “marionette” because the term “puppet show actors” is inappropriate and usually refers to people who manipulate hand puppet. However, the most important reason that the artist refused to use the word “doll” is that it contains the meaning of toy, which implicated its function of been recreated. Thus, calling them, marionette added their significance as sculpture works. Although these marionettes are indeed “puppet dolls” used for entertainment, they have a more important identity – actors playing in the theatre, manipulated by people behind to do actions and movements. Through the distinction, the artist wants to emphasize that he devoted a part of his life to a very serious work even if it looks funny and ridiculous. This is not children’s game!
… ... And so it was the night!
With a shudder, the moon sank
a fraction
invisible
floating defiantly
behind warring stars
the sun,
which otherwise never waits
Actors
darkness
shadowplay
Welcome
Welcome to the world of the Marionettes!
Torsten Jurell is an interdisciplinary and talented artist. In the past eleven years, he has stayed in China for his creative works and settled in Jingdezhen – an ancient porcelain city with a glorious history of handcrafts for thousands of years. In the energetic and vibrant environment of contemporary art, the artist created the ceramic sculpture works for this exhibition - “Pranks in the Moonlight.” The sculpture works are set in a fictional marionette theatre, and the mechanical actors are of all kinds, unrestricted by time and gender, forming an assembled collection of shadow play, sculptures, light, and sound in the exhibition hall.
Torsten Jurell organized the show “Pranks in the Moonlight” based on the literary concept of a fictional marionette theatre. In the gallery on the first floor of CAFA Art Museum, there are plenty of “actors” – the bisexual and eternal creatures – occupying the space. The exhibition put shadow play, sculptures, light, and sound together, including his new works created in China and the Royal Institute of Art in Sweden over the last few years.
Perhaps some people may call the nine actors of the marionette theatre as “puppet dolls,” but the artist calls them “characters”; he even likes to describe them as “marionette” because the term “puppet show actors” is inappropriate and usually refers to people who manipulate hand puppet. However, the most important reason that the artist refused to use the word “doll” is that it contains the meaning of toy, which implicated its function of been recreated. Thus, calling them, marionette added their significance as sculpture works. Although these marionettes are indeed “puppet dolls” used for entertainment, they have a more important identity – actors playing in the theatre, manipulated by people behind to do actions and movements. Through the distinction, the artist wants to emphasize that he devoted a part of his life to a very serious work even if it looks funny and ridiculous. This is not children’s game!
… ... And so it was the night!
With a shudder, the moon sank
a fraction
invisible
floating defiantly
behind warring stars
the sun,
which otherwise never waits
Actors
darkness
shadowplay
Welcome
Welcome to the world of the Marionettes!
