"The paintings are not dreams,They are not reality,
They are paintings." - Jonas Greni
The exhibition “Between the Clock and the Mirror” invites a personal reflection on our experience when observing art. Every interpretation is as valid as the next, as it is born in the viewer’s mind. The works exhibited exist at the border between the solidity of reality and the fragility of dreams; the paintings inhabit a space between, serving both purposes.
Like fleeting scenes in a dream where the narrative constantly shifts—seemingly disconnected, yet part of the same vision. So close, and yet distant.
Greni explains:
"Because of my diagnosis of narcolepsy, I experience sleep attacks with a duality of states. The transition from wakefulness to a dreamlike condition happens without me being aware of the shift. The dreams appear as vivid hallucinations—so lifelike that I cannot distinguish them from the real world.
This has led me to reflect on and explore how our dreams are, in fact, an integrated part of our reality—how they can shape our views and attitudes, and how the subconscious continuously influences us, both for better and for worse. My paintings function as fragmented memories, extensions of both dream and reality. Together, they form new, personal narratives that are still unknown to me.
There is something exciting and mysterious about not knowing the artist’s intentions, and I both hope and wish that viewers, when encountering my paintings, can create their own narratives. I find great value in the individual interpretations of others’ art. What occurs between my thoughts and works, and the audience’s interpretation of them, is an essential part of the experience—like interpreting your own dreams: you have dreamt them yourself, yet you are never entirely sure what they mean."
