Scan Magazine | Attraction of the Month | Norway
Left: Outside TKS, one of Telemark’s regional artists is always represented. This year it’s Philipp Dommen, and the work Ekkopp. Top middle: Klas Eriksson created the work LOLERZ (++) for the exhibition High on low-life in February 2014. Middle and right: The Nyblin Archive is one of TKS’s autumn initiatives, focusing on the aesthetics of earlier eras.
Attraction of the Month, Norway
Art as a discipline Through its focus on and curation of high-quality art, Telemark Kunstsenter has become one of Norway’s finest institutions for the elevation of contemporary artistic culture. Conveying complex meaning through various methods of visual expression, the centre aims to enlighten spectators within varied thematics. Focal points this autumn are two highly anticipated exhibitions, exploring variations in contemporary art projects. By Julie Lindén | Photos: Courtesy of TKS
“It’s important for us to convey an unreserved openness and also pass that forward to our visitors, so that they can experience the art with an open mind,” says Ida Bringedal, manager at Skien-based Telemark Kunstsenter. Telemark Kunstsenter (TKS), which is associated with around 100 artists and part of a national organisation for conservation of fine contemporary art, has strong ties with national art establishments. The characteristically high level of quality art that TKS offers stems from the work of nationally acclaimed curators as well as the institution’s in-house experts – the latter showing much of their work throughout Telemark in regional exhibitions.
“We offer guided tours of the centre to those who want one, and we often welcome school classes to benefit from the works we have on show. Not only is the TKS a serene and culturally enriching place to be, but our library and staff also add an educational value that we hold highly,” says Bringedal. She is excited to welcome visitors to two new exhibitions that will open this autumn. The first, Go! Figure!, is curated by Kjersti Solbakken, who has previously lent her expertise to the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art in Oslo. The exhibition explores the relationship between stylised art and sculpture in intriguing compositions, and presents regional and national artists alongside one another.
The second exhibition, The Nyblin Archive, is a collaboration between TKS and Telemark Museum, depicting portrait and industrial photos from the early 1900s as art. “These pictures are absolutely exquisite,” Bringedal says, continuing: “It’s amazing studying their lines and composition, imagining the time when they were taken. It’s a new direction for us as an art institution, and we’re very excited to present these treasured images in a new setting.” Setting is everything to TKS, Bringedal concludes, stressing the need for noiseless visual experiences – an inflection mirrored in the institution’s connecting link between art and spectators. “Today we’re constantly exposed to countless visual elements all at the same time. TKS offers a space free from that, with a redirected focus on qualitative art.”
For more information, please visit: www.telemarkkunstsenter.no
Issue 68 | September 2014 | 89