Two major trends can be seen among artists working in video in the 2000s; the first is geared toward investigations into technological possibilities and the second is an approach that is more concern with picturing subjective realities and identities.

The accessibility of video allows artists to work globally and induce political ideas into the aesthetic discourse that that were once absent from representation in contemporary art. The art world has become increasingly more international over the past two decades, for better and for worse, but one effect of this is that more and more artists explore important global issues in their practice.

An old man in a velvet jacket stares at us from across a table, a clock starts ticking. In 40 seconds flat he has eaten the mountain of sausages before him, beating his own world record, again. In a fanfare of showmanship, his hands fly up and his mouth opens wide, toothlessly in awe of its own performance. In the video series ’Forget Me Not’ a sword-swallower, a strongman and a glutton perform their extraordinary, record-breaking and potentially deadly acts in a private circus sideshow just for us. Condemned to endlessly repeat or better their endeavours they illustrate the extremes to which some are willing to go in their hunger for fame and the admiration of others.

Trapped in a claustrophobic environment of uncertainty, life is an endless cycle of limbo and panic in the new work 'Underbelly'. Filmed entirely underwater, lone bodies float side by side, heads stuck through the surface and legs kicking spasmodically to stay afloat.
The dark waters and the unknown surround them and terror lurks as a deep heavy sound, a constant invisible threat below. This nightmarish and disturbing vision is a perversely beautiful and seductive meditation on the human condition.

Despite the seriousness of her concerns, Nedreaas' works have a dark yet sweet beauty to them. Her films are both disturbing and humorous at the same time:

‘I am interested in people’s reason for being and the drive to carry on and get out of bed every morning. I admire the enthusiasts, the people who try again and again, often banging their head against the wall; the different outlets people have for creating meaning, be it sausage-eating, weight-lifting, singing or acting as corpses. I sympathize with stuttering, stumbling and singing out of tune and am fascinated by the weird and the beautiful, the vast and strange variety of human endeavours.'

Trine Lise Nedreaas lives and works in Berlin. She works in a variety of different media including film, video, photography and installation. She recently exhibited at P.S.1-Moma and will show at the Mori Art Museum Tokyo early next year. She has exhibited in the UK, US, France Norway and Germany.