Galleri F 15 in Moss, Norway, is currently presenting Nathalie Djurberg & Hans Berg: Death or Eternal Delight, with the artist duo Djurberg and Berg returning to Norway for the first time since 2020. The show is running from March 8 – May 25, 2025, and brings together several stop-motion films, along with frame-by-frame animation works drawn with charcoal and art sculpture pieces that interpolate innocence into the grotesque. While stop-motion is usually associated with children’s films, here, it takes on a sexual and violent character, feeling like a bad dream. The show is curated by Maria C. Havstam, head of the Art Department at the gallery. Havstam joins STIR to explore Djurberg and Berg’s strange and unsettling film works, drawing parallels between their work and traditional fairytales. A strong example of the ghastliness being considered when drawing these associations can be found in Hans Christian Andersen’s The Red Shoes (1845), in which god punishes a young girl for wearing red shoes to church, forcing her to dance to death. In desperation, she has her feet cut off but cannot enter the church because her legs still keep dancing in front of the doors. Her suffering for her sins comes to an end when her heart bursts before an angel grants her mercy, allowing her soul passage to heaven.

The duo’s stop-motion works carry a distinctly transgressive quality, coming about from the dissonance between a medium that has typically been used for child-friendly movies on the one hand and gleefully perverse content on the other. However, there is a moralising undertone in their works, consistent with children’s movies and fairytales. For example, in their film This is Heaven (2019), a grotesque male figure wakes up in heaven and begins robbing its animal denizens of their belongings, which, to him, are symbols of success. These include medals, jewels, a gold-plated motorcycle and more. He ignores their pleas to stop, but in his hedonistic frenzy, he forgets to watch his step and finds his foot caught in a gold-plated bear trap attached to a heavy golden ball that he must then carry with him. The message is clear. This is a cautionary tale against avarice.

The playful yet disturbing quality of their work forces us to confront the latent brutality within seemingly innocent traditions, revealing how repression and control are often cloaked in narratives designed to educate or entertain. – Maria C. Havstam, head of the Art Department, Galleri F 15

Havstam discusses work by the duo from Sweden, telling STIR, “This juxtaposition unsettles the viewer, disrupting familiar visual and narrative codes. By embedding grotesque and provocative content within an aesthetic linked to childhood storytelling, the artists expose the ways in which cultural myths, fairy tales and moralistic narratives shape our perceptions of desire, fear and authority. The playful yet disturbing quality of their work forces us to confront the latent brutality within seemingly innocent traditions, revealing how repression and control are often cloaked in narratives designed to educate or entertain.”

Berg’s music amplifies the uncanny quality of these animation films, which the exhibition’s website states are reminiscent of a ‘fever dream’. These are often filled with electronic chirrups and beats, but in the case of This is Heaven, the film’s accompanying soundtrack is composed of lush synthesiser music, encapsulating the sense of opulence and status chasing that typified Hollywood depictions of masculinity and corporate success in the 80s, when such music was in vogue. Heard in the film’s context, the music from the Swedish artist takes on a maliciously sarcastic tone, becoming a fitting companion to Djurberg’s style and narrative.

Havstam reflects on work from the sound artist, stating, “His compositions oscillate between hypnotic repetition and moments of dissonant unease, mirroring the erratic, exaggerated movements of Djurberg’s claymation figures. The interplay between image and sound art creates a visceral experience where emotional states shift unpredictably, drawing the viewer deeper into the artists’ surreal and unsettling world.”

Returning to the moralism within the duo’s work, commentators such as Jerry Saltz, senior art critic at the New York Times, have likened it to the dark and surreal folklore collection of German folklorists Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm (Brothers Grimm), who were born in 1795 and 1786, respectively, and lived until the mid 19th century. The press release for the art exhibition extends this comparison to the works of Danish children’s author Andersen (1805 – 1875). As Havstam tells STIR, “Death or Eternal Delight explores the fine line between morality and cruelty, fantasy and repression. Traditional fairy tales often reflect rigid moral structures, where transgressors are punished, and order is restored through suffering or transformation.” Perhaps, then, we can consider Djurberg and Berg’s work to be modern fairytales for adults?

‘Nathalie Djurberg & Hans Berg: Death or Eternal Delight’ is on view from March 8 – May 25, 2025, at Galleri F 15 in Moss, Norway.