Frode Felipe Schjelderup

Born 1982 in Colombia.
Lives and works in Stavanger, Norway.

Schjelderup’s connection to metal music and culture is so deep and genuine it’s as if the riffs, sensibilities and aesthetics were somehow fused to his DNA at birth. These images and visual ideas translate effortlessly to his raw and direct work, which resonates with all of us who grew up in the dark and uncompromising world of dimly lit stages and brutal soundscapes.

When Schjelderup goes to work, with rudimentary tools and techniques, he accomplishes to capture both the essence and presence of these titans of metal. Repetition, both in his ways of working and in the subject matter he chooses, is a constant in Schjelderup’s work. He will return time and again to ideas and visuals that are important to him, ranging from the aesthetic and philosophical implications of time passing with his clock works to the more accessible expressions of metal hallmarks in his portraits. He is unafraid to tackle controversial subject matter, incorporating his take on politics, racism and otherness in his paintings. Like so many of the people Schjelderup depicts in his art, the artist is uninterested in the rules and limitations of the art world at large, and prefers to explore his own universe, piece by piece constructing his world with simple and precise drawings.