Tegning 1973

Editor: A single, stark line bisects this vast white field; it feels unsettling. What is this? Curator: This is a piece called "Tegning," or "Drawing" in English, by Jan Groth, created in 1973 using ink on paper. It's an interesting exploration of the dynamics between absence and presence, reflecting the socio-political climate of the time where minimalism and conceptual art were questioning established norms. Editor: Minimalism often masks the intensive labour involved in creating such reduced forms. I wonder about the labor and social context of its creation? The starkness speaks to constraints, almost as though the artist fought against something—or maybe within the system itself. What were the prevailing attitudes about labor and craft that might have informed his approach to art making? Curator: Exactly. Looking at this now through an intersectional lens, Groth’s work raises questions of power, gender, and the hierarchy of art forms. The line itself becomes a political statement against the art establishment and notions of accessibility in art—or lack thereof. He’s pushing the viewer to think differently. How do we grapple with its deliberate bareness when access to creative expression and its materials isn't universal, even today? Editor: You're making me reconsider my first impression. Initially, I only noticed the material austerity. Ink on paper—basic, ubiquitous. But locating it in time and then layering on issues of access... Suddenly, I’m wondering, whose story gets told when all you have is a line? Curator: Right. "Tegning," the single drawing is almost a protest, and protest itself can often rise from restriction. Even, potentially, artistic activism—quiet yet provocative in the socio-economic environment of the period and ever more resonant in an age of rising inequality. Editor: Considering it that way adds a remarkable density to the artwork, transforming its surface to reveal powerful social statements about value and available means. I had overlooked so many other perspectives initially. Curator: I believe that this shift in perspective shows exactly the continued relevancy this line in space commands. Editor: Agreed. This dialogue reframed my view entirely. It has a stark sort of force, still.