“Rock Portraits” began life as a Moleskine notebook, in which the Frode Felipe Schjelderup created a series of paintings over multiple years. While some of the images have been showcased before, this is the first time the book in its entirety is made available to the public. The artist’s signature style is recognisable throughout, and it touches on topics the artist keeps returning to, like metal music, identity, landscapes and wildlife. In addition, the artist shares his thoughts on relevant topics and guides the viewer through the book with short texts throughout the publication.

Frode Felipe 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.

Frode Felipe Schjelderup was born in Colombia and lives and works in Stavanger, Norway.

“Rock Portraits” is the first publication by Sæter Jørgensen Contemporary, edited by Erik Sæter Jørgensen and designed by Studio Bergini. The publication received a production grant from the City of Stavanger.