The traditional painting and new technology
Dag Arild Dramstad (b. 1973) is an artist and entrepreneur living in Oslo, Norway. He is schooled in the principles of classic, figurative art, and a self-taught software and embedded electronics engineer.
In his new work he is blurring the lines between the painting and technology. Dramstad is adding new layers to the traditional painting, with interaction and connectivity hidden behind the surface.
tableaux
The figures and objects in the work of Dag Arild Dramstad are often – at least on the surface – representing a state of calm and tranquility. In his paintings he depicts present-day scenes with vague clues regarding the essence of the scenes. His paintings indicate one or several storylines, often mundane in its nature, leaving the spectator to decipher the elements of significance – if any.
“I want the spectator to apprehend the painting like a partly obscured story. Like a snapshot, accidentally capturing a situation a few seconds to early or to late to get the full picture of the situation. The initial understanding of the scene might be challenged when perceiving the context of what is hidden, obscured, or implied.”
Dag Arild Dramstad
Space-time continuum
The scenes depicted extends beyond the moment in time and beyond the frame of the canvas. The fabric of space-time is warped and allows for some objects to be observed from different positions in both space and time, while others are absent, only discovered as a result of their interaction with other objects. Figures and objects can be found in odd positions, close to the edge of the painting, partly – or even completely – out of view.
Objects obscuring parts of the scene, leaving the spectator in a less than optimal position to observe and understand. Figures looking at something undefined outside the frame. Indications of something hidden from view of the spectator, seemingly visible to the figures in the painting only.
Observing what might have just passed
“My paintings are constructed out of planned, precise geometry, but I want the scenes depicted to appear unorganized and unplanned, as opposed to a staged tableau. The figures in the scenes are not posing, they are unaware of the spectator – who observes the scene from a slightly odd point of view, like if stumbling upon a situation by accident, just getting a glimpse of something playing out.
Dag Arild Dramstad
Action/reaction
There tends to be some minor action and interaction taking place in the motives, implying that something already has happened, leading to the situation depicted – or there could be signs indicating something is about to happen next. We either see the outcome of an event, or we observe the prelude to what is about to occur in the next few moments.