Sverre Bjertnes / Bjarne Melgaard

If You Really Loved Me You Would Be Able to Admit That You're Ashamed of Me is an unconventional exhibition catalogue documenting Norwegian artist Sverre Bjertnes's 2013 exhibition at White Columns in New York, conceived in collaboration with artist Bjarne Melgaard.

Exploring themes of identity, intimacy, desire, and artistic influence, the exhibition brought Bjertnes's paintings and drawings into dialogue with the work of American artist Robert Loughlin, whose distinctive portraits and graphic imagery became an important element of the project. The publication reflects the exhibition's deliberately provocative spirit, blurring the boundaries between artistic collaboration, appropriation, and personal narrative.

Designed as a reversible, two-sided book, the publication also serves as My Friend Robert: The Paintings of Robert Loughlin, creating a dialogue between the two artists' work. An unusual and visually compelling artist's book documenting a distinctive moment in New York's contemporary art scene.

Sverre Bjertnes / Bjarne Melgaard / Robert Loughlin
If You Really Loved Me You Would Be Able to Admit That You're Ashamed of Me / My Friend Robert: The Paintings of Robert Loughlin
White Columns, New York, 2013
Illustrated exhibition catalogue
Hardcover
Limited publication