n a sea of uniform realist photography and retro 80's painting some bright pieces of ornamental art floated into view: A "Repeat Pattern" installation by Gunilla Klingberg, a Swedish artist living in Berlin, covered the box's floor and furniture in poverish beige linoleum, printed with ornaments made of tiny low life brands.


"In these works the "logo-mania" of the high street has run rampant to create a consumerism overdose of swirling patterns and mesmerising visual effects.", the Galleria Maze has written. (Here's an artist interview with Gunilla Klingberg by Andreas Gedin, in which she explains about the 60's and 70s psychedelic influence on her art and about anti-consumerism.)

Seen at the upmarket Stockholm/Berlin Gallery Nordenhake who get first prize for "insecure arrogance" in the "attitude" category. At this fair, most galleries are pretty stiff and unhelpful still.

The new Copenhagen Gallery Kirkhoff had ornamental art of a more clubby kind on display, Holly Solomon would have loved it: heraldic nordish Pop-banner by the BankMalbekRau collective (active since 1999). The gallery people were sitting on bright yellow childish furniture that morphed into art displays.

A new show with decorative sculpture/reliefs is on view at the gallery in November/December 2004 (pic).

The most friendly and informative was the Eastgerman Buero fuer Kunst, where I learned about the recycle artist Matthew Houlding (interview), who builds witty miniature landscape & architecture pieces He has a solo show at the Buero in November 2004

He's part of a trashy pseudo hobbyist tradition along with fellow artists from the  North of England, John Cake and Darren Neave (a.k.a. "the little artists") who, inspired by museum shops and art marketing,  create lego art depicting  famous art pieces and artists  (pic. Gilbert & George).