Young & Loving
Seven inspiring artists are participating in the exhibition, where observations and research of nature, attitudes/perspective and the material in itself can be seen as a common denominator.
A great variation in the aesthetic expressions can be seen amongst the artists. In her own unique way Doreen Garner is cultivating beauty parallel with the grotesque. With sculptures made of glass, silicone, pearls, condoms, hair and crystals she is directing an oppositional gaze toward fetish, objectification, and racism. Her work is in strong contrast to the dreamy and light expression of Mika Aoki, who has been inspired by the Norwegian landscape and fjords. An artist known for her ability to make glass almost levitate in front of our eyes, due to her fine technical skills. The ever changing sculpture of Zuzana Kubelková takes us back to the laboratory and reveals the beauty in simple (chemical) processes. In Julia Chamberlains “Rain images”, we see the result of her exploratory approach and systematic trials when capturing the Bergen rain in glass!
The Nordic participants in Young & Loving! relate in different ways to our glassblowing traditions. Riikka Haapasaari is using her acquired knowledge to investigate the field in it self, doing so through short films as her main medium. Karin Forslund is interested in the subjectivity of materiality and investigates the creative relationship through the reaction and interaction between different materials and the maker.. Eirin Bjørsland Hansen who won the TGK competition ”100% Glass” in 2014, is presenting new and personal work where the visitors almost can read her as an open book.
Young and Loving! is a humorous translation of “young and promising”, pointing to the exhibition’s focus on newly graduated artists. An exploratory approach to glass as part of an artistic expression is a particular feature of the exhibition concept, which was developed by S12 in 2007.
This year’s participating artists are: Mika Aoki (jp) Eirin Bjørsland Hansen (no) Julia Chamberlain (usa) Karin Forslund (se) Doreen Garner (usa) Riikka Haapasaari (fi) Zuzana Kubelková (cz)