Carl Mannov’s exhibition at Kunstnerforbundet explores the intersection between the staged and the immediate, where everyday elements are inserted into a theatrical reality. In Overlys-salen (the Skylight Hall), he constructs a fragmented narrative in which both people and letters function as visual signs detached from clear meaning.
A series of paintings depicts individuals with neutral facial expressions, wearing glasses and striped sweaters. We might feel a sense of familiarity with the characters, but Mannov withholds information and they remain unidentifiable. Other works consist of letter fragments—where, for example, a “t” might possibly represent a column.
The building blocks of the works—letters, people, body parts, or clothing—are arranged in a scenography where everything is potentially performative. What unites them all is the ambiguous balance between encoding and decoding, between figuration and abstraction.
Carl Mannov (b. 1990, Copenhagen) holds a Master’s degree in Fine Art from the Oslo National Academy of the Arts (KHiO), 2016. He works across painting, sculpture, and installation, exploring narrative structure, surface tension, and visual fragmentation. Drawing on references from architecture, scenography, and graphic aesthetics, he creates complex visual spaces that challenge the viewer’s perception and imagination.
Mannov has held several solo exhibitions, including Kammerspil at Overgaden in Copenhagen (2021), DVÆLER at Heerz Tooya in Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria (2019), and Agggoraphobe at Christian Andersen in Copenhagen (2018). Barbara at Kunstnerforbundet is his first solo exhibition in Norway outside of his regular gallery, STANDARD (OSLO).
Group exhibitions include Describe Me the View from My Window at Union Pacific in London (2024), Jeg kaller det kunst (I Call It Art) at the National Museum of Norway, Oslo (2022), Decembristerne at Den Frie in Copenhagen (2022), and shows at MAUVE in Vienna and Salzburger Kunstverein in Austria. In 2023, Mannov was an artist-in-residence at the International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP) in New York. He has received several grants, including a three-year working grant from Arts Council Norway (2017) and multiple working grants from the Danish Arts Foundation. His works are part of the Danish Arts Foundation’s collection. In 2022, he completed a public commission for the Court of Appeal of Eastern Denmark in Copenhagen.
The exhibition is supported by the Danish Arts Foundation and Arts Council Norway.
