“Where is authenticity in today’s cultural society? We have now established systems for communication and information sharing, They have to be carried a little bit with a grain of salt.transparent
Sandberg has a lot in his toolbox. He has worked with acrylic and petroleum, etching and photoplastics. His often-played roles blur the line between humans and monsters. Their bodies are like us. Their clothes are like ours, but they cover their hair. Sometimes they will have the appearance of a werewolf with animal-like fur. Other times, hair falls off on the face and body, such as thinking about a ball of brightly colored yarn or long curls.
“I don’t usually take pictures or something like that,” he said. “Generally, a lot of it comes in my mind. Occasionally, I use some photo references with very specific sources of lighting.”
In “Girl at Sunset”, pink hair covers almost the entire head of the head – only the character’s eyes and mouth without fur – and then swept back to the side, as if it was blown by the wind. In “Rapala” (2016), a man and woman cruise in BMW. The black hair was knotted on their faces. Characters are as good as humans to be relevant creatures.
Previously, Sandberg focused on photography and film. At that time, he lived in a large warehouse in Atwater Village near the Los Angeles River. This is primarily an industrial area so he can be late and make noise on these complex projects. He would make “large, well-designed” costumes for the shoot and attract friends to model. He would give some direction to the models, but Sandberg said he was interested in screen testing for Andy Warhol players, and he wanted to see what the models could bring to the images. “It’s been a very interesting experience,” he said.
On “Beach Day,” the waves roll on the sand like a model, Leah Raquel sits on the swing, stuffing a thick black mixture over long, thick straw. The model gently plays with long yellow hair tendrils that look like rolled up plastic. Models swallow up creatures in the garbage made by the black lagoon
Put down the drink and the excess hair falls off. The seductive posture is in line with the ugly influence of humans on the environment. “Wash” is a little less obvious, considering the creepy monster vibe.
“With photography, they have a truth. It has a reality. It can be manipulated so much by pixels, but it has an inherent truth,” Sandberg said. “You can see the components of it through ads. That’s because it’s OK. When you see that manufacturing family in the mall’s catalog, you believe, even if we know it’s all the actors. It feels like, it’s incredible.”
This credibility inherent in photography and film presents more problems for artists, especially in an era when technology makes manipulating images easier. “Where is the authenticity of today’s cultural society?” he asked. “The systems we have built now for communication and information sharing have to absorb them with a grain of salt. Obviously, if you are in the visual arts community, you would be more savvy… Maybe the average person without this visual complexity, how do they know what is completely credible or real?
During this interview, Sandberg was part of 101 exhibitions held in West Hollywood, titled “Feature Futures.” Among his contributions to the show is “The Botanical Garden”, a 2016 ink and acrylic work that depicts a thin woman with black hair curly and clumpy as if she was in the pool after a day in the air. Hair crawled along the neck and shoulders under the belt of the cut-off black flag vest. The wires of her earplugs reached into her hands. Behind her is a wallpaper-like scene of plant leaves.
Sandberg’s current influence is flowers and plants, which is related to his digital interests. He recalls a condolence email he received after his mother passed away a few years ago, and the banknote features a wreath of .gif. “I like the fact that it doesn’t retain the normal, periodic aspect of receiving something,” he said. “The fact that it still flickers in the inbox, and in the email, I find form and culture a little interesting.”**
This article originally appeared in Hi-Fructose Issue 45, and the issue is sold out. Support what we do and subscribe to Hi-Fructose here for the latest issue.
