gallery

Peter Beste “True Norwegian Black Metal”

For those of you who prefer something more dark and graphic in your photography, Artist Peter Beste opens his Exhibition this evening at Zune LA entitled “True Norwegian Black Metal”. This whole sub-culture revolves around heavy metal music infused with the whole horror/splatter movie genre, with touches of satanism, pagan mythology and leading to a whole war on Christianity thing this whole presentation should prove not for the weak stomached.

Quote from Beste’s Website -
In the last two decades a bizarre and violent musical subculture called black metal has emerged in Norway. It’s roots stem from a heady blend of horror films, extreme heavy metal music, Satanism, pagan mythology, and adolescent angst. In the early-mid 1990’s, members of this extremist underground committed murder, burned down medieval wooden churches, and desecrated graveyards. What started as a juvenile frenzy came to symbolize the start of a war against Christianity, a return to the worship of the ancient Norse gods, and the complete rejection of mainstream society.

Quote from Blabbermouth.net -
Peter Beste has spent the last eight years working in the milieu of this insulated and secretive community. Beste’s access and insight has been absolutely without precedent, resulting in an amazing photographic journey. Beste has earned the respect and trust of this impenetrable, suspicious and often elitist community. With each visit Beste saw more, photographed more and eventually accumulated enough material for this book. “True Norwegian Black Metal” is a visual testimonial to this subculture. Peter Beste and editor Johan Kugelberg have created a unique photographic narrative that explores black metal from a truly visceral perspective.

With extensive contributions from the personal archive of Jon “Metalion” Kristiansen, publisher of the original Norwegian black metal publication Slayer magazine, a unique opportunity is here presented to see original artifacts and ephemera from this secluded rock community, and to read accounts of these events in the words of the people who were actually there at the time.

“True Norwegian Black Metal” offers confrontational live performance photographs of a savage subculture set alongside the stark beauty and natural allure of a landscape often shrouded in darkness.

The exhibition also goes hand in hand with Peters book that was released in May of this year, you can view and order the book here. Following tomorow in Long Beach there is a book signing at DDR Projects gallery from 4 – 6pm. The exhibition this evening is RSVP only due to limited space but there is still time gain entry by RSVP’ing to www.viceland.com/peterbeste

You can visit Peter Bestes website here – http://www.peterbeste.com

The exhibition is at,
Zune LA
8275 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA

And the book signing tomorrow will be here,
DDR Projects Art Gallery
1532 East Broadway. Long Beach, Ca

Link to Blabbermouth.net

Tags: Christianity, DDR Projects gallery, horror, Norway, pagan mythology, Peter Beste, satanism, splatter movie, True Norwegian Black Metal, Zune LA