2025
185 X 80 CM
ED./25
ARCHIVAL PIGMENT INKS ON COTTON RAG
 
In The Shadow Outlives The Flesh, Magnus Gjoen presents a striking meditation on conflict, connection, and the elusive nature of resolution. Two dogs, connected by a chain yet each distinct in form, symbolise the tension between differing religions - forces bound by circumstance but often pulled by opposing impulses. Suspended from their shared chain hangs a single key, a potent emblem of solution or understanding. Yet the key’s singularity underscores the difficulty of compromise: only one can claim it, and dogs do not naturally share. Through this layered allegory, Gjoen invites viewers to confront the complexities of coexistence, the struggle for dominion, and the fragile possibility of harmony that, though present, remains tantalisingly out of reach.