Scan Magazine | Artist of the Month | Norway
House.
City.
Artist of the Month, Norway
Simplified and playful art Norwegian artist Barbro Maria Tiller takes inspiration from her surroundings to create simplified and playful art that invites the observer to add their own interpretation. As a part of the local art scene in Trondheim, she believes that the thriving community at Lademoen Kunstverksteder plays a big part in her creative growth. By Ingrid Opstad | Photos: Barbro Maria Tiller
objects and experiences around her. “The simple look invites the viewer to add their own interpretation of my pictures, I want people to associate my art with their own lives,” she says. In her early years, Tiller mainly worked with black and white charcoal drawing. “I always saw the colours, even though they were not there. Today my work is dominated by earthy and muted shades, where contrasts play a big part,” the artist explains.
Art has always been a big part of Tiller’s life, even from a young age. “Both my parents were artists, so you can say art is a part of my heritage,” she smiles. With a background at the Trondheim Academy of Fine Art, Tiller now considers herself a multidisciplinary artist. “My work consists of everything from painting, graphics, drawing, collages, installation and embroidery, to collections. I like to work with my hands and to have the control of the artwork, and do not want to restrict myself to one thing.”
Creative community
With a playful and almost naive expression, Tiller has always focused on a minimalist style and found inspiration from
Tiller has a studio at Lademoen Kunstnerverksteder (LKV), a historic creative centre housed in a former school building from 1906, near the centre of
112 | Issue 116 | September 2018
Trondheim. It consists of 40 studios for professional artists, as well as workshops and courses. LKV also has an international trans-disciplinary artist residency programme to facilitate international mobility and collaboration opportunities with the local art scene. “LKV is such a great addition to Trondheim city. As artists, we often stand alone and work all day. But here, we can meet colleagues and be inspired by each other, which further stimulates creativity,” Tiller says. This open and communal environment provides the artists with space to explore and develop their creativity, while also giving them access to their own artist-run space, Babel, for collaborative and interdisciplinary art events, exhibitions and projects.
Dream Pillows “For Christmas and birthdays during my childhood, I received pillowcases