Neubauer Collegium: Th Jan 29 (at UofC)

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Fredrik Værslev The Joy of Painting Please join us for the opening reception Thursday, Jan. 29 5–7 pm Neubauer Collegium 5701 S. Woodlawn Ave.   REGISTER The Joy of Painting brings together eight large-scale paintings by the Norwegian artist Fredrik Værslev, each conceived as an exercise in geometric abstraction. One painting reduces the Japanese flag to color and form, for instance. Another calls to mind a speckled stretch of sunshade. A scrunched-up bit of canvas resembles a parted curtain, and a work from Værslev’s “Terrazzo” series invokes the spirit of Jackson Pollock. Taken as a whole, the works on view showcase Værslev’s systematic interrogation of abstract art as well as the many methods through which abstraction can be produced. The rigor of Værslev’s formal language notwithstanding, the exhibition is a heartfelt homage to the pleasures of making one’s mark. Learn more→ The Neubauer Collegium gratefully acknowledges the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for its generous support of this exhibition, in partnership with the Royal Norwegian Consulate General in New York City. Additional programming support has been provided by the UChicago Division of the Arts & Humanities through the Wigeland Fund.   About the Artist Fredrik Værslev (b. 1979) is one of his generation’s leading innovators in the expanded field of abstract painting. He is an alumnus of the Städelschule in Frankfurt am Main and the Malmö Art Academy, where he is currently a professor. Recent solo exhibitions include Badekaran at Stormen kunst/dájdda in Bodø, Norway (2025); Platting at the Haugar Kunstmuseum in Tønsberg, Norway (2023); LE RENNE at Fonds regional d’art contemporain Bretagne in Rennes, France (2022); Astrup Fearnley Museet, Oslo, Norway (2018); and more. His work has also been included in group exhibitions at the Aspen Art Museum in Colorado (2024); Fondazione Prada, Venice (2023); Art Sonje Center, Seoul (2022); Whitechapel Gallery, London (2022); the Modern Institute, Glasgow (2021); and the National Museum of Norway, Oslo (2018). Værslev is represented by Mehdi Choakri in Berlin, Gio Marconi in Milan, Filomena Soares in Lisbon, and Andrew Kreps in New York, where he has had five solo exhibitions to date. IMAGES (from top): Fredrik Værslev, Untitled (detail), 2016. Courtesy of the artist. Allison Katz, Portrait of Fredrik Værslev, 2025. Courtesy of Allison Katz.   Neubauer Collegium for Culture and Society 5701 S. Woodlawn Ave. Chicago, IL 60637 773-795-2329 neubauercollegium.uchicago.edu If you need directions or accommodations to participate in events at the Neubauer Collegium, please contact collegium@uchicago.edu.

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