November 4 – November 26 2017

MELK is proud to present The Mechanism, a solo exhibition by Mårten Lange. The exhibition shares the name with the publication published by MACK books in 2017. The Mechanism is the second solo exhibition at MELK by Mårten Lange.

The photographic project is a narrative concerning contemporary life. Rooted in the dystopic depiction of the sci-fi genre, the works mark an attempt at constructing a vision of the future by assembling pieces of contemporary life, architecture and technology. The post modern city is depicted as a blank slate on which business is conducted, ruled by an oppressive uniformity, a nexus of control and surveillance. Photographed in many cities across continents, the images merge to create an archetypal megacity of endless glass and steel grids, layer upon layer – uniformly resembling each other. Humans appear in the cityscape, but always from a distance, as if monitored by a surveillance camera. We are stranded in this concrete archipelago, working away to keep the machine running.

Mårten Langes recent exhibitions include The Mechanism (Webber, London, 2017), Recent Work (Robert Morat, Berlin, 2017) and Another Language & Chicxulub (Landskrona Museum, Landskrona, 2016). This is Lange’s second solo show at MELK, following Another Language in 2013. The Mechanism was published by MACK in spring 2017. Amongst Lange’s other books are Chicxulub (self-published, 2016), Citizen (Études Books, 2015) and Another Language (MACK, 2012). Lange was the recipient of the ISCP Hasselblad residency in 2016 and holds a MFA Photography from the University for the Creative Arts, Farnham, United Kingdom (2011).

MELK is open Thursdays through Sundays 12 – 4 pm during exhibitions or by appointment.

The exhibition is supported by the Arts Council Norway and The Swedish Arts Grants Committee.