Jørgen Craig Lello & Tobias Arnell have collaborated since 2003 and utilize logically broken trains of thought,
false statements and fictional scenarios in their examination of how the world is interpreted and understood.
They primarily work with sculpture, though it often bleeds into photography, collage and wall reliefs. Visually, the
pieces hold a resigned trash- and DIY-aesthetic, with pretensions of slickness. Though the works are
fundamentally idea-based, they are saturated with a strong, underlying material and sculptural disposition.
Their work questions basic social structures and methods, and their validity. By using historical documents,
symbols and events, a wide range of interconnected concepts are subjected to a deconstructive process which
emanates in a skewed perception of «the big picture».
The main theme in the works is the way the topics have been treated, which constructs an interpretation that
feels complete, though invalid, or even preposterous.
During the past few years, LELLO//ARNELL have made a name for themselves on the contemporary art scene.
In Norway, they have participated in high profile group shows such as the Norwegian Sculpture Biennial and
Lights On - Norwegian Contemporary Art at the Astrup Fearnley Museum in addition to a number of solo
exhibitions.
They have exhibited in the US, Spain, France, Belgium, Germany and Austria, and in 2009, they participated in the
Biennial of Graphic Art in Ljubljana, Slovenia. They have been acquired by a number of public and private
collections, such as the Astrup Fearnley Collection, Sørlandet Art Museum, the Region Skåne Collection and the
Statoil Art Collection.
Last year they participated in the grand opening exhibition of the new Astrup Fearnley Museum in Oslo, To Be
With Art Is All We Ask. In 2013 they have completed public commissions for The Norwegian School of
Economics and The University of Oslo, and have participated in group shows at Platform Stockholm, Galerie
Reinhard Hauff, Stuttgart and Mario Mauroner Contemporary Art, Salzburg. In November, they are showing solo
exhibitions at Jozsa Gallery, Brussels and Mario Mauroner Contemporary Art, Vienna.