Nordic contemporary crafts exhibition by NNCA and Galleri F 15, in collaboration with Gustavsbergs Konsthall
Curated by Randi Grov Berger (NO)
Hildur Bjarnadóttir (IS)
Ebba Bohlin (SE)
Fellesskapsprosjektet å Fortette Byen (Sápmi/NO)
Alma Heikkilä (FI)
Karoline Hjorth & Riitta Ikonen (NO/FI)
Guðjón Ketilsson (IS)
Kasper Kjeldgaard (DK)
Stian Korntved Ruud (NO)
Ivana Králíková (CZ/SE)
Valentin Manz (DE/NO)
Britta Marakatt-Labba (Sápmi/SE)
Pekka Paikkari (FI)
Louise Sidelmann (DK)
Brynjar Sigurðarson & Veronika Sedlmair (IS/DE)
Ida Wieth (DK)
Hedvig Winge (NO)
Charlotta Östlund (SE/FI)
The Exhibition
Earth, Wind, Fire, Water - Nordic Contemporary Crafts is the 44th edition of the exhibition series Tendenser at Galleri F 15 in Moss, Norway. The exhibition was on show at the gallery 16 June – 4 October 2020. The exhibition is curated by Randi Grov Berger (NO) and brings together seventeen artists and artist groups from the Nordic countries who uses their craft, their tools and their deep material knowledge to address environmental issues. These practices explore the potential of materials and the elements to co-author artistic works; to participate in and at times control the process and outcome. Through their work, which encompasses biology, geology, and cosmology, the artists confront a longing for a deeper connection to the earth. They challenge our perception of materials, of the so-called natural world, and of ourselves.
The exhibition is a collaboration between Galleri F 15 and the Nordic Network of Crafts Associations (NNCA). The exhibition, theory programme and publication is supported by Nordic Culture Fund and Nordic Culture Point.
Collaboration with Gustavsbergs Konsthall
The NNCA and Galleri F 15 proudly present the second showing of the exhibition Earth, Wind, Fire, Water - Nordic Contemporary Crafts in collaboration with Gustavsbergs Konsthall, Swedens only contemporary craft focused gallery, located on the outskirts of Stockholm. The exhibition will be open at Gustavsbergs 6 February – 9 May 2021.
Digital tours
Experience the exhibition Earth, Wind, Fire, Water – Nordic Contemporary Crafts through digital guided tours. In the videos curator Randi Grov Berger introduces the exhibition and the artists involved (Norwegian with English subtitles). The tour is divided into four parts. The digital tour series is available on Vimeo here.
ZOOM Sessions
The NNCA and Galleri F 15 hosted three live Zoom Sessions in connection with the exhibition.
Session 1: Posthumanist and Post-Anthropocentric Perspectives on Contemporary Craft was moderated by Thomas Laurien (University of Gothenburg), and featured the following panellists: Æsa Sigurjonsdóttir, Nicolas Cheng, Alma Heikkilä and Jenni Nurmenniemi.
Session 2: Human-Material Dialogue Within Textile Art and Craft was moderated by Marcia Harvey Isaksson (Fiberspace), and featured the following panellists: Jessica Hemmings, Katve-Kaisa Kontturi, Petter Hellsing and Britta Marakatt-Labba.
Session 3: Thinking and Working with Soil. Perspectives from the Arts, Crafts and Humanities was moderated by Daniel Münster (Anthropogenic Soils, University of Oslo) and featured the following panellists: Ivana Králíková, Sigrid Espelien, Annike Flo and Maria Puig de la Bellacasa.
The Craft Anthology Earth, Wind, Fire, Water
The publication Earth, Wind, Fire, Water (Arnoldsche: 2020) is an anthology that brings together seven distinguished writers and thinkers living in the Nordic region: Camilla Groth, a ceramic artist, teacher and post doc researcher at the University of Gothenburg; the curator and writer Jenni Nurmenniemi; Nicolas Cheng, a jewellery artist and researcher; Jessica Hemmings, an author who writes about textiles and a professor of craft at the University of Gothenburg; Nina Wöhlk, a freelance curator and writer; the poet and translator Ánne Márjá Guttorm Graven; and Æsa Sigurjónsdóttir, a curator, writer and associate professor at the University of Iceland. The texts in this publication are written in several Nordic languages in addition to English.
Earth, Wind, Fire, Water is edited by Randi Grov Berger and Tonje Kjellevold.
Order the publication through Arnoldsche Art Publishers here.
The Nordic Network of Crafts Associations (NNCA) was founded in 2010. The network fosters collaboration and dialogue between its members, strengthening the field of contemporary crafts across the Nordic region and beyond.
The NNCA consists of: Danske Kunsthåndværkere og Designere (Denmark); HANDVERK og HÔNNUN (Iceland); Konsthantverkscentrum (Sweden); Konstnärernas Riksorganisation (Sweden); Norske Kunsthåndverkere (Norway); Norwegian Crafts (Norway) and ORNAMO (Finland).