Torbjørn Rødland's Unsettling Photography at Fondazione Prada's Osservatorio

Fondazione Prada's Osservatorio in Milan's Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II hosts 'Torbjørn Rødland: The Touch That Made You', a monographic exhibition originally conceived by Serpentine Galleries in London. Curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Amira Gad, the show features 40 works spanning from 1999 to 2016, including 'Drunken Man' (2014-15), 'First Adduction Attempt' (2014-16), 'The Photographer' (2015), 'Pump' (2008-10), 'Candles and Cubes' (2016), 'Midlife Dilemma' (2015), and 'Comb Over' (2015-16). The exhibition emphasizes Rødland's analog photography, characterized by luminous skin textures, ambiguous innocence, and subtle shadows. The curators prioritize still lifes and portraits over earlier series like 'Nudist no 6' (1999) and 'Black Tape' (2003). A final project room presents moving images from 'The Exorcism of Mother Teresa' (2004), 'Heart All This & Dogg' (2004), and 'I Am Linkola' (2007), expanding the temporal experience. The raw, labyrinthine installation encourages viewers to navigate works placed off the main path. Rødland, born in Stavanger in 1970, is known for his unsettling, fetishistic compositions that blend innocence with unease.