Ephemeral Matters. Into the Fashion Archive, The National Museum of Norway, Oslo
Ephemera is a genus of mayfly, but the term is more commonly associated with printed and written materials such as invitations, letters, zines, and similar items. Anyone who has undertaken historical research will know to appreciate the significance of what people leave behind – valuable objects that might just as easily have ended up in the rubbish bin. The exhibition Ephemeral Matters: Into the Fashion Archive at the National Museum was developed in collaboration with curator Marco Pecorari and features materials on loan from institutions such as Palais Galliera in Paris and the International Library of Fashion Research in Oslo. Visitors are invited to browse through drawers and display cases, and allow themselves to be seduced by the peculiar items that fashion houses have devised and produced to engage audiences – for example, a Dries Van Noten runway invitation in the form of a chocolate bar.
Charlie Roberts, Alien Visions, Golsa, Oslo
At Golsa this autumn, Charlie Roberts presented a series of dreamlike oil paintings depicting Norwegian hytte (cabin) culture and populated by elongated bodies with tiny heads. Roberts has evolved as a painter, working at a slower pace and allowing his artworks to develop in intricate detail – even the frames were ornamented! Sometimes it takes an outsider’s perspective (Roberts is an American living in Norway) to notice the peculiar absurdities of a tradition. In recent years, the weekend supplement of the newspaper Dagens Næringsliv, D2, has noticeably reduced its coverage of art and culture, choosing instead to focus on seemingly simple yet outrageously expensive cabins, where acquiring the latest modern conveniences is deemed essential for experiencing some of our oldest traditions.
Edvard Munch, Trembling Earth, Munch Museum, Oslo
In Trembling Earth, meticulously curated by Trine Otte Bak Nielsen, Edvard Munch (1863–1944) abandoned his cognac days – when he turned green at the sight of a femme fatale dancing with another man – and moves into nature. In exhibition rooms painted in a variety of colours, I wandered past extending branches, sun, snow, and sea – snapshots of external worlds that might reflect what goes on within us. I pictured Munch skinny-dipping in Warnemünde or laying out his canvases in the snow outside his studio at Ekely, where I was fortunate enough to work from January to September this year. Trembling Earth also featured music: Lost Girls early in the exhibition period and Deathprod towards the end. I appreciate that Munch Museum is so invested in music, as many of the best moments the institution has had to offer me have been through its live programme.
Constance Tenvik is a Norwegian artist educated at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts and the Yale University School of Art in New Haven. Her exhibition Tio-Tio-Tinx is currently on view at Munch Museum in Oslo.
Translation: Marie-Alix Isdahl
