Silje Figenschou Thoresen, A quiet and protected water, the layers above it, passing undisturbed, Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art, Oslo
According to Silje Figenschou Thoresen, all things are equally valuable as long as they can be put to use. A quiet and protected water, the layers above it, passing undisturbed, flowed into the museum at Tjuvholmen like an atmospheric material-poetic river from Kirkenes. The exhibition, curated by Owen Martin, explored the relationship between improvisation and tradition through a series of distinctive sculptural arrangements grounded in Figenschou Thoresen’s ability to interpret the cues of materials. In Figenschou Thoresen’s practice, cable ties, kindling wood, cotton grass, rope, and polystyrene sheets engage in complex dialogues with constraints such as gravity, friction, and the artist’s own skills before settling into temporary constructions.
Leonard Rickhard, Between Construction and Collapse, Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art, Oslo
The art year 2024 began with a brutal and deafening silence as news of Leonard Rickhard’s (1945–2024) passing was announced. His death came just three weeks before the opening of his extensive and long-anticipated exhibition at the Astrup Fearnley Museum. Between Construction and Collapse, curated by Director Solveig Øvstebø,was a resonant boom without an explosion, where all the elements of Rickhard’s drawings and paintings from the past fifty years were brought into motion. Where do we go when every arrow points entirely in the wrong direction? Rickhard’s paintings serve as lasting reminders to hold onto the image, showing us how utterly helpless we become when we lose the ability to grasp what we are perceiving.
Simcity, Prosjektskolen (Project School), Oslo
Prosjektskolen delivered the most pleasant surprise of the year. Under the direction of artists Hedda Grevle Ottesen and Anders Dahl Monsen, students assumed roles as curators, artists, critics, gallerists, and members of cultural councils and acquisition committees in an attempt to stage the “ecology of the art field” as a live-action role-play. The event included fanzine launches, open studios, and the creation of Gallery Welding Blind (housed in the school’s welding workshop), Gallery Alter, SHLEM Kunsthall, and Gallery Raw – to name but a few. Recently, a colleague mentioned that her husband avoids openings because he can’t stand the art field referring to itself as “a world.” Admittedly, it is a tad pretentious! Nonetheless, exercises in collective practice are becoming vital tools for the future – not just for the ‘art world’ but for the world at large.
Kjersti Solbakken recently took up the role of director at Bergen Kunsthall. She is the curator of this year’s edition of the Lofoten International Art Festival (LIAF), which features the ongoing exhibition Lines of Distribution at The Kitchen, New York. Solbakken previously held the position of director at Kunstnerforbundet, Galleri Format, and Fotogalleriet in Oslo, and has curated exhibitions for institutions such as Hordaland Kunstsenter and the Astrup Fearnley Museum. She is co-editor of the forthcoming issue of the journal Metode.
Translation: Marie-Alix Isdahl
For this year’s contributions to the Advent Calendar, see here
