Det langsame, morknande
Galleri Christinegaard, Bergen, Norway
19.10-10.11.2024
Performance by Ingeborg Blom Andersskog during the opening event
Det langsame, morknande questions humanity's relationship with materials and our role in the ecological cycle. Ingeborg Blom Andersskog, Henrik Koppen, and Mari Norddahl explore how processes of consumption, destruction, and decomposition can function as artistic methods. Through sculpture, performance, and drawing, they invite the audience into a sensory world where the perishability of materials is highlighted in light of our own actions. By exploring natural materials and human-made processes, the exhibition emphasizes how the inherent slowness of art can open up deeper reflections on nature and sustainability.
The three artists have backgrounds from the Bergen Academy of Art and Design. Previously, they collaborated on the project Skylle, samle, kverne, slipe, which was exhibited in a boathouse in Velsvika, Sunnmøre, in the summer of 2016. This exhibition is both a continuation and the beginning of a new collaboration on the perishability of materials and the impact of human influence.
Ingeborg Blom Andersskog works with drawing, installation, performance, and text. She experiments with works that move between the two- and three-dimensional, exploring different ways of incorporating her own and the audience's bodies into the artwork. An interest in phenomenology and Slow Art forms the foundation for the development of her new works. Lines and circles are recurring elements in her art. With a background in ceramics, material has always played a crucial role in Andersskog’s creative process. The act of working with the material over time is essential, where the body's and the material’s properties and limitations function as a framework. Her work "In Search for the Perfect Stone" consists of an ongoing performance on the opening day and a brand-new series of watercolors.
Henrik Koppen works with performance, video, sculpture, and drawing. In his work, he combines elements from religion, mythology, history, and natural sciences, staging poetic and sensory encounters with the materiality of the world. In this exhibition, he presents a series of new drawings that explore material processes, time, and a landscape in constant change.
Mari Norddahl works with soft textile objects through performance, sculpture, installation, and text. In this exhibition, she examines textiles' ability to decompose, exploring the tension between the material’s autonomy and humanity’s power over the material world. Norddahl is concerned with the understanding of beings and materials through object-oriented ontology and personification. By using natural materials such as cotton and silk in interaction with compost, she studies decomposition processes and reflects on consumption, resource use, and the textile’s inherent will to take new forms, independent of our needs and intentions. She sees this slow approach as an anti-capitalist response to overproduction, focusing on processes that cannot be rushed or controlled by humans.
The exhibition was supported by Bergen Municipality and Regional Project Funds from the Art Centers in Norway (Regionale Prosjektmidler).
