Devil-may-care-the title of the Nordic pavilion of this year's Biennale in Venice, characterizes the artistic attitude of the three women artists represented there. With female aplomb, they make reference to icons of broad mainstream culture, from the works of Old Masters to Hollywood action movies, showing that allusions always include the possibility of renewal, that it is not only the conventions of authority that have to be followed. Karin Mamma Andersson's figurative painting is in the tradition of European Expressionism. And yet, in her pictures the references from this historical avant-garde are tossed around and mixed up in ever new ways. Kristina Bræin's improvised room installations make allusions to Minimalism but also deconstruct the abstract vocabulary of form in Modernism by including everyday objects. Liisa Lounila's video works copy the special effects of action movies. The poor quality of the pictures taken with her homemade cardboard camera, however, provides a clear contrast to the glossy look of those fabricated by the culture industry in Hollywood. Exhibition Schedule: Venice Biennale July 15 - November 2, 2003 Reprint spring 2005