Vegard Øidvin

“We know what it means to be young, but we disappear from the radar when we grow old,” says Frederick Nathanael about the project that the sculpture Metamorphosis is part of. Along with Vegard Øidvin he has created a series of sculptures that address old age from a gay perspective.  
The exhibited work consists of among other things a coffin, around 50 porcelain figures of young men, and several armrests and legs from antique furniture. The items are all full of symbolic meaning that at times may conflict, creating a new meaning that may undermine the heteronormative framework of aging. The work offsets the deeply tragic with humour.  
With increased age and experience, people have a greater chance of being self-confident and knowing who they are. The LGBT communities have lost several generations to AIDS, however, and have therefore few stories of what it means to grow old as a gay person. SH