DELUX – Christmas Bonus II, 2023
Shopping trolley, artificial Christmas tree and decoration, shopping and hand bags with embroidery, clothing tags, Priority scarf, Pizza boxes, 100 x 80 x 175 cm
Kaffetrykkeri, Rogaland Kunstsenter, Stavanger, Norway.
Photos: Eivind Egeland
DELUX – Christmas Bonus II, 2023
Shopping trolley, artificial Christmas tree and decoration, shopping and hand bags with embroidery, clothing tags, Priority scarf, Pizza boxes, 100 x 80 x 175 cm
Kaffetrykkeri, Rogaland Kunstsenter, Stavanger, Norway.
In December 2023, Bjelland returned to Kaffetrykkeri – on the ground floor of Rogaland Kunstsenter – to create the site-specific sculpture DELUX. The installation features a shopping trolley overflowing with an artificial Christmas tree, embroidered shopping bags, discarded tags, and remnants of grocery shopping, forming a sculptural tableau that merges festivity with consumption. The work was accompanied by a poem, Sorbet Island, developed using keywords and slogans sourced from the bags and tags embedded within the sculpture. With assistance from ChatGPT, these fragments were shaped into a text that Bjelland performed in the exhibition space at both the opening and closing of the show.
By combining festive décor with the detritus of everyday shopping, DELUX – Christmas Bonus II highlights the contradictions embedded in seasonal consumer culture – the tension between symbolic warmth and commercial excess. The embroidered bags and clothing tags draw attention to the labor and branding behind gift-giving, while the pizza boxes and trolley anchor the work in the rhythms of ordinary life. Extending Bjelland’s ongoing investigation into consumerism and the accelerating pace of contemporary life, the sculpture and its accompanying poem invite viewers to reflect on how material abundance, desire, and branding shape modern celebration.
Photos Eivind Egeland
Sorbet Island, 2023
Welcome on board, to Sorbet Island,
A realm of opulence, no more dry land.
Thank you for choosing us, the elite gateway,
Life is good here, for those who can pay.
Premium economy, a stepping stone,
To priority boarding, where luxury's shown.
First class whispers beyond compare,
Upgrading humans, a cosmic affair.
No price, no cost, in this exclusive space,
On offer, a taste of the opulent embrace.
Spar and save, a game for the wise,
3 for 2, where luxury multiplies.
Sorbet Island, where trolleys glide,
Grandiosa Deluxe , what a ride.
"Spiser du bedre, lever du bedre" without fear,
"Tjener du bedre, lever du bedre" echoes clear.
Selvfølgelig! Faktisk! Fuck this!
Open happiness, the ultimate lifestyle,
Because you're worth it, in every mile.
Thank you for dining in this grand feast,
Thank you for traveling, where luxury's released.