HOW TO MAKE A GARDEN?

In conjunction with the exhibition Frida Hansen – Art Nouveau in Full Bloom we present How to Make a Garden? Frida Hansen and Contemporary Art. This exhibition features works by Liv Tandrevold Eriksen, Maren Dagny Juell and Ingrid Toogood. 

The exhibition is built around a fascination for Frida Hansen, her life and her work. In many exhibitions in recent years, woven art, women’s rights, textiles and handicraft have been themed in various ways. Mention of Frida Hansen has largely been absent from these contexts. There can be different reasons for this; perhaps it has to do with Hansen’s circle of motifs and her relation to Art Nouveau style. It could also be because many people think of her primarily as the weaver of Gerhard Munthe’s designs. 

In addition to producing commissioned works, weaving her own designs and having a hectic exhibition schedule, Hansen also established a wool dyeing workshop and a tapestry studio where she employed and trained many women. She developed the vertical loom and patented her transparent weaving technique. Throughout her career she voiced her opinions clearly and wrote letters to the editors of newspapers. In this way, she prepared the ground for upcoming artists such as Hannah Ryggen. 

With Hansen’s artistic practice as inspiration, the three contemporary artists have dug deeper into their own field of art and developed techniques and ideas. Their starting points and approaches to Frida Hansen have resulted in playful and individual processes of artistic creation. A common source of inspiration leads to divergent artistic results. Liv Tandrevold Eriksen presents paintings, drawings and sculptures; Maren Dagny Juell presents videos and installations, and Ingrid Toogood contributes with paintings and sculptures. 

In connection with the exhibition, the three artists have invited yet other artists to participate in an expanded exhibition concept that takes the form of a performance program in late August. The participating artists are Ane Graff, Roderik Hietbrink, Jonathan Baldock and Florence Peak, Marte Ramm Fortun and Kasper Bosmanns. 

An exhibition catalogue will be launched on 27 August. The exhibition is initiated by Liv Tandrevold Eriksen, Maren Dagny Juell and Ingrid Toogood and curated through collaboration with Hanne Beate Ueland. The exhibition is generously supported by Statens utstillingsstipend, Verdelagsfondet, Arts Council Norway and Fond for Lyd og Bilde. The exhibition is curated by the artists, in cooperation with Hanne Beate Ueland, director of Stavanger art museum.

The exhibition is curated by the artists, in cooperation with Hanne Beate Ueland, director of Stavanger art museum.