[JEANSELLEM VIEWER] — 03-23.09.1971 OLIVER WEERASINGHE — Categories: press, letters, visual — Keywords: Galerie S:t Petri, Jean Sellem, archive — Category: press — Caption: Limhamn has for some years been the home of the Ceylon-born sculptor Oliver Weerasinghe, who is now exhibiting at Galerie S:t Petri.A closed neighbourhood shop becomes the venue for a new gallery.The latest addition to Lund’s art galleries is Galerie S:t Petri. One could say it forms the third cornerstone of a small cultural hub, with the book café on one corner and the city library across the street. The new gallery previously housed a dairy shop, the last outpost of Solidars’ neighbourhood stores.The young group running Galerie S:t Petri has rebuilt, painted and renovated the space themselves. They are psychology students Marie Sjöberg and Jean Sellem, who are engaged in art-related work and will manage the gallery. They are supported by three additional collaborators who, among other things, contribute contacts for organising exhibitions.The first exhibitor is Oliver Weerasinghe, born in Ceylon and now living in Limhamn. He is showing plaster sculptures as well as preparatory sketches, but none of his well-known portrait sculptures. Among his sitters have been Bertrand Russell and Max von Sydow. He studied sculpture in Ceylon and England and is represented in galleries in most countries.The opening will take place on Friday, 3 September at 5 p.m. The exhibition runs until 23 September and will be followed by work from an Italian artist. — — — Category: press — Jean Sellem opens the Petri Art GalleryAs a contribution to the cultural life of Lund, the French artist Jean Sellem, together with Marie Sjöberg, will soon open a new art gallery, Galleri Petri, on S:t Petri Kyrkogata. The gallery was created as an alternative to traditional commercial art centres, differing from them in that artists do not have to pay a commission on sold works but only cover the expenses associated with their exhibition.“We hope in this way to assist artists, both materially and artistically, so that those who exhibit can at least cover their expenses and preferably earn something beyond that. We also want to give an artistic touch to a city where this has so far been lacking. Both well-known and lesser-known artists will have the opportunity to exhibit. The decisive criteria will be the artist’s personal style, originality and the coherence of their work. Whether or not the artist’s style happens to be fashionable at the moment is, for us, of lesser importance.”Jean further explains that the gallery has no political label, meaning that an artist who paints birds will be judged in the same way as one who paints fighter jets or submarines, as long as the artistic requirements are fulfilled.Jean and Marie work together with three assistants: Gisela Molander, Gerhard Scholz and Ulla Werin, all of whom are active in the visual arts. They will exhibit in the space themselves to contribute financially to the interior work during the initial phase. Jean stresses, however, that they wish to avoid a didactic approach and not form a small “clique.” Anyone engaged in the visual arts, who has enough completed works and is interested in exhibiting, is welcome.In early September, the premiere will feature an exhibition by Oliver Weerasinghe, a sculptor from Ceylon who is now residing in Limhamn. — — — Category: press — Caption: There is a clear view into Galerie S:t Petri. The sculpture Lovers is in focus. Outside, from left to right: Jean Sellem, Marie Sjöberg and Oliver Weerasinghe.Closed neighbourhood shop becomes venue for new galleryThe latest addition to Lund’s art galleries is Galerie S:t Petri. One could say it forms the third cornerstone of a small cultural hub, with the book café on one corner and the city library across the street. The new gallery previously housed a dairy shop, the last outpost of Solidars’ neighbourhood stores.The young group running Galerie S:t Petri has rebuilt, painted and renovated the space themselves. They are psychology students Marie Sjöberg and Jean Sellem, who are engaged in art-related activities and will manage the gallery. They are supported by three additional collaborators who contribute contacts for exhibition planning.The first exhibitor is Oliver Weerasinghe, born in Ceylon and now living in Limhamn. He presents plaster sculptures and their preparatory sketches, but none of his well-known portrait sculptures. Among his sitters have been Bertrand Russell and Max von Sydow. He studied sculpture in Ceylon and in England and is represented in galleries in most countries.The opening will take place on Friday, 3 September at 5 p.m. The exhibition runs until 23 September and will be followed by works from an Italian artist. — — — Category: press — Caption: The artist and sculptor from Ceylon, Oliver Weerasinghe, will be the first exhibitor at the new Galleri S:t Petri in Lund. Perhaps some ceramic artists from Kullabygden might also exhibit there in the near future?Ceramic artists from Kullabygden at the new gallery in Lund?NST met on Monday with the French artist Jean Sellem, who has lived in Lund for two years. He had visited Höganäs and Kullabygden to find suitable and interesting ceramic artists for his new gallery, S:t Petri, which opens in Lund this Friday.Galleri S:t Petri is intended as an alternative and complement to the existing cultural institutions in what Sellem describes as the rather conservative cultural landscape of Lund. The gallery is entirely run by artists. It operates without commercial pressure and allows artists to exhibit without having to rent expensive space.The main purpose of the gallery is to offer a place where artistic ideas can be expressed freely — and it would be highly desirable, Sellem says, for ceramic artists from Kullabygden to participate. Galleri S:t Petri naturally makes no distinction between artistic disciplines and excludes none.“Everyone is welcome,” Jean Sellem emphasises. He and his three collaborators will not impose any subjective “censorship”. What they seek above all are artists with a personal and original style. The subject or technique does not matter, and the gallery has absolutely no political position. “We aim to avoid being didactic and instead work in an honest and intellectually open way.”Galleri S:t Petri opens on Friday, and the premiere exhibition features the Ceylon-born sculptor Oliver Weerasinghe, who is known abroad but relatively unknown in Sweden, where he now makes his solo-exhibition debut. — — — Category: press — Caption: Sculpture by Oliver Weerasinghe from Ceylon, on view at Galerie S:t Petri in Lund.Sculptor from Ceylon opens the new galleryLund: The new gallery in Lund — Galerie S:t Petri — is now ready to present its first exhibition. It will feature the work of sculptor Oliver Weerasinghe from Ceylon. The artist, who has never before exhibited in Sweden, was born in Ceylon but trained in England, where he has held several well-received exhibitions.The exhibition opens on Friday at 5 p.m. and is open daily from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., and on Saturdays and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. It runs until 23 September. The new gallery is located at 5 S:t Petri Kyrkogata — the street name from which the gallery takes its own name.As Arbetet has previously reported, the gallery is run entirely non-commercially, as an alternative to traditional art galleries. The artists cover only the costs associated with their exhibitions and do not pay any commission on sold works. — — — Category: press — Caption: The sculptures of Oliver Weerasinghe serve as the inaugural exhibition at the new non-commercial Galleri S:t Petri in Lund.A gallery venture without profit motiveIn central Lund, on S:t Petri Kyrkogata, artists Jean Sellem and Marie Sjödal are opening a completely new art gallery: Galleri S:t Petri. The gallery was created as a counterweight to the strongly commercial exhibition venues that dominate the art scene. At Galleri S:t Petri, exhibiting artists pay no commission on sold works — they only cover the general expenses associated with their exhibition. There are also opportunities for artists without financial means to receive assistance with exhibition costs.Jean Sellem emphasises that the gallery has no political orientation; everyone with a personal style and consistent, solid artistic quality is welcome.The first exhibitor will be Oliver Weerasinghe, born in 1933 in Ceylon and now living in Limhamn. He has held sculpture exhibitions in London and is represented in private collections in the USA, Canada, France, South Korea, India, England and Ceylon. The opening takes place at Galleri S:t Petri on Friday, 3 September at 4 p.m. The exhibition is open on weekdays from 3–5 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays from 12–5 p.m., until 23 September. — — — Category: press — Caption:Limhamn has for some years been the home of the Ceylon-born sculptor Oliver Weerasinghe, who is now exhibiting at Galerie S:t Petri.Closed neighbourhood shop becomes venue for new galleryThe latest addition to Lund’s art galleries is Galerie S:t Petri. One could say it forms the third cornerstone of a small cultural hub, with the book café on one corner and the city library across the street. The new gallery previously housed a dairy shop, the last outpost of Solidars’ neighbourhood stores.The young group running Galerie S:t Petri has rebuilt, painted and renovated the space themselves. They are psychology students Marie Sjöberg and Jean Sellem, who are engaged in art-related work and will manage the gallery. They are assisted by three additional collaborators who contribute contacts for the exhibition programme.The first exhibitor is Oliver Weerasinghe, born in Ceylon and now living in Limhamn. He is showing plaster sculptures along with preparatory sketches for them, but none of his well-known portrait sculptures. Among his sitters have been Bertrand Russell and Max von Sydow. He studied sculpture in Ceylon and England, and is represented in galleries in most countries.The opening will take place on Friday, 3 September at 5 p.m. The exhibition runs until 23 September and will be followed by work from an Italian artist. — — — Category: press — On 3 September, a new art gallery will open in Lund — Galerie S:t Petri.Marie Sjöberg, Jean Sellem, Gisela Molander, Gerhard Scholz and Ulla Werin, who are the main organisers, hope that S:t Petri will become a different kind of art gallery — non-commercial and alternative.A place where people can meet, look at art, and talk.No importance will be given to whether the exhibiting artists are well-known or not. What matters is that they have originality and a personal style.The inaugural exhibitor will be the sculptor Oliver Weerasinghe. — — — Category: press — Caption:Oliver Weerasinghe, a sculptor born in Ceylon and now living in Limhamn, opens the first exhibition at Galerie S:t Petri. He presents plaster sculptures along with preparatory sketches.Closed shop — new galleryThe young group working with Galerie S:t Petri has rebuilt, painted and renovated the premises themselves. The psychology students Marie Sjöberg and Jean Sellem, both involved in art-related activities, will run the gallery. They are assisted by three additional collaborators who help establish contacts for exhibition activities.The first exhibitor is Oliver Weerasinghe, born in Ceylon and now living in Limhamn. He shows plaster sculptures and preparatory sketches for them. However, none of his well-known portrait sculptures are included. Among his models have been Bertrand Russell and Max von Sydow. He has studied sculpture in both Ceylon and England. He is represented in galleries in most countries. — — — Category: press — Binding FormIn the new Sankt Petri gallery, Oliver Weerasinghe is exhibiting sculptures of human bodies, mostly female. Through arcs and spirals he captures the softness of the body’s forms. The lines flow easily, with no irregularities offering resistance. The resulting harmony is of an abstract kind: a calm, still unity rather than a tension-filled interplay of harmony and disharmony.This applies both to the large plaster sculptures and the smaller bronzes, but the similarity is not of the kind that erases differences; instead, it brings them out more clearly. The bronze figures are not as tightly bound to abstract patterns as the plaster works are. They express life at rest and, in thought, transform into feminised forms. There is tenderness here, and even a certain comical element.The large plaster sculptures have, so to speak, grown out of human sensuality and risen into the heaven of geometric forms. Although the forms have become clearer and purer, it is more difficult to grasp the whole, which becomes rather ornamental.The three artists shown at Galerie Leger — Soto, Le Parc and Vasarely — make abstract art of quite a different kind. They do not transform or refine anything organic, nor do they attempt to extract some quintessence based on geometric elements such as circles or squares.The idea seems to be that these forms and form combinations should trigger involuntary reactions in the viewer — or, if one prefers, awaken primordial mental states. Both the biological and the metaphysical interpretations may reasonably be questioned. What remains, it seems, is to determine the decorative qualities of the works, their relationship to the living reality from which they have distanced themselves, though still connected through order and rhythm.VIOLA ROBERTSON — — — Category: letters — Letter from the Sri Lankan newspaper Davasa to Jean Sellem (8 September 1972).8th September, 1972Miss Jean SellemFack F22101 LundSwedenDear Madam,With reference to your postcard dated 14th August 1972, we have to inform you that back copies of our publications beyond three months from the date of issue are not maintained for sale in this office.We therefore regret our inability to help you in this instance.Yours faithfully,INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS LTD.Asst. Circulation Manager — — — Category: visual — — — Category: visual — — — Category: visual — OLIVER WEERASINGHE, Birthe 1968 (Front)