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I don’t know if I’ve ever had a bromance. Maybe this is the first time. Or the last. I’ve tried. But it never quite works. Maybe because I always assume that men—or 'bros'—want to fight. Almost never true. But sometimes it happens.

A guy I know taught me how to fist bump. It felt wrong, almost embarrassing, but I let him insist. I let him push me into it. And then it stuck in my body. Like a nerve twitch. You do it, you smile, as if you belong there. But really, you don’t understand a thing.

The fist bump is a boundary. Something you don’t quite know where begins or ends. A fight. Anal fisting. Or just silence. You never know.

Bromantica is a sunken ship. All bromances sink. To the bottom. Without a word.

 

Mattias Hellberg (b.1991) is an artist from Uppsala, Sweden, based in Oslo. He holds a Master’s degree in Fine Art from the Oslo National Academy of the Arts. His practice spans performance, film, painting, installation, and costume design. His work explores obscure histories, toxic masculinity, and neoliberal power structures. In recent years, he has held solo exhibitions and participated in shows at Høstutstillingen, Galleri BO, Spriten Kunsthall, Galleri Van Etten, Porvoo Triennial, Galleria Rankka, Vilnius Art Weekend and more. 

 

Tor Erik Bøe (b.1986) is a visual artist from Sjenarøy, currently based in Paris. He is educated at the Academy of the Arts at University of Tromsø. From 2013 until 2017 he was a part of the artistic duo Trollkrem, together with Jennie Bringaker. His work and collaborations have been exhibited widely, including at Fotogalleriet, Kunstnernes Hus, Kurant Visningsrom, Momentum 9, Heimdal Kunstforening, Munchmuseet On The Move and Norwegian Sculptors Society.

 

The exhibition is curated by Nora Stangebye and Luca Sørheim.