Norwegian Contemporary Crafts
17 February - 3 April 2005

The impressive diversity of contemporary Norwegian work is being showcased by Flow Gallery in February 2005, with the assistance of The Norwegian Association of Arts and Crafts (NACC) and the Royal Norwegian Embassy.

Based in Oslo, NACC now comprises about 800 professional practising makers as members. A body of makers and representative work has been selected from multiple disciplines. Each brings something different to this very interesting and enjoyable show.

From the jewellery camp we see diversity exhibited by individual makers; Louise Nippierd considers her playful, poetic pieces just as important as her socio-political ones. Dina Hald's approach is to create a story and draw its characters in silver, these she colours in with enamel. Also using metals ability to capture a human quality is Toril Bjorg, who looks to emphasise the mental strength of the woman through his work. Alida Rudjord Røiseland wants toamuse, she sees humour as an important characteristic and aims to involve it in her work. Janicke Horn works intuitively from nature, and functionality often comes second to the sculptural qualities she seeks. In a similar vein Heidi Sand's working method involves letting her ornamental pieces develop naturally, the form emerging as she cuts into the metal. By contrast, Millie Behrens composes her minimalist pieces out of a love of geometry, which she likens to poetry. The title of Lise Schønberg's jewellery for this show is 'partly clouded - good visibility', and her pieces are full of both humour and colour. Also having fun is Anne Lene Løvhaug, she takes objects from the domestic sphere out of context by associating them with the body, her belief is that some objects 'could do with a little sightseeing'. Both hollow-ware and enamel have long standing traditions in the history of Norwegian crafts, but Synnøve Korssjøen is mostly alone in using the hollow-ware technique to create her jewellery and objects. For Liv Blåvarp beauty never lays in perfection, and despite the superlative craftsmanship, her wooden pieces reflect a love of people with flaws and peculiarities. One of the most established makers on show, Liv's pieces are collected by the Queen.

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Elisabeth von Krogh's strong ceramic vessels reach heights of 130cm. Being so expressive and dramatic they would appear to be the polar opposite of Sidsel Hanum's minimal ceramics, but Sidsel's pieces are not without their own definite expression.

Beth Wyller has moved away from her large 'human' vessels and is now working on a smaller scale, she finds this equally challenging. Kari Brovold Hagen's point of reference are those forms associated with boats, troughs and cradles, Mimi Swang, on the other hand, likes her forms to develop in the process of making. Lippa Dalén uses transfers on her hand thrown earthenware to express the romantic and allude to nostalgia. By contrast, Anna Stina Naess's porcelain cylinders are dripped with glaze in a very freely and illustrative way, inspired by jazz music.

Lillian Dahle's carved wooden pieces focus on the relationship of form to decorative elements, her sensitive embellishments having a tendency to the uncomplicated. Hildegunn Anda is drawn to wicker because of its inherent resilience and flexibility; an insight and passion for weaving is evidenced in the manipulation of her chosen medium.

Kari Dyrdal understands that it is a tradition to surround oneself with textiles as an identifying element, and she firmly places her installations in this history. Comparable to the tactile sensibility exhibited by Kari, are the textile pieces of Åse Ljones. Trine Mauritz Eriksen's aesthetic is borrowed from Japanese tradition, she has worked with shibori - clamp resist dying - for over ten years and is now considered Norway's foremost expert in the field.

Kjersti Johannessen's chosen material is glass, she finds it inspirational as it allows her to play - in a serious way.

The release of the Norwegian governments report on culture late last year was marked by one overriding aim: "to strengthen the exchange of contemporary art between Norway and countries abroad". At Flow Gallery we are looking to forge those ties.