Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Highlights of Norway’s Art Scene
Above left: Lars Magnus – 2011. Middle: Thomas og huset på Ask – 2013. Textile collage of Tomas Espedal, noted Norwegian author. Top right: Jørund – 2010. Bottom right: Molotovcocktail – 2012. Images by: Karina Nøkleby Presttun.
Weaving artistic excellence Textile art has long been on the rise in Norway, and leading the way are young and ambitious artists whose oeuvres are slowly but surely weaving their way into art history. Professionally trained and passionately curious about topics that can be explored through the threads are Karina Nøkleby Presttun and Kristina Daukintyte Aas. Next year will see the two collaborate on a brand new exhibition, further establishing their strengths as ground-breaking contemporary talents. By Julie Lindén | Photos: Karina Nøkleby Presttun & Kristina Daukintyte Aas
“I started making clothes in my teens, but they just grew weirder and weirder as time went on,” laughs Presttun. “In the end I guess that turned into more figurative textile art, and I started exploring that in depth. Today I work in both 2D and 3D, constantly looking for new ways to challenge myself and my artistic thinking.” Aas also started out making fashion, albeit not as eccentric pieces, and explains that she has found it equally important to try out various ways of expressing her own creativity through textiles. “I feel like what I’m essentially doing is combining the knowledge of the weaving craft, which is thousands of years old, with various expressions of modernity. That union between an ancient craft and modern technologies 24 | Issue 83 | December 2015
– such as video and photography, which I’ve often utilised – is one I’m very interested in,”she says.
Intriguing contrasts – and men in gowns The artists, who met nine years ago when studying at Bergen National Academy of the Arts, may be cordial colleagues in terms of artistic categorisation, but their portfolios demonstrate some intriguing contrasts alongside the more tangible similarities. Akin to every artist’s success is also a slice of media buzz, something both have encountered throughout their comparatively short but impressive careers. Presttun especially has been noted in the press for her textile collages depicting men in dresses – raising questions
of interpretational and even political character. “That idea came to me and some friends after a few beers,” she says laughing. “In the end they turned out to be some of my more media-covered works, especially when shown abroad.” The project had Presttun shop for dresses with a few male friends, before photographing them in the garments and building appliqué textile collages on the resulting photographic background. “I can’t say that I had any intention of making a grand feminist or at all political statement, but in hindsight I can see how such a message can be derived from these particular pieces. I think they convey a positivity and acceptance that have largely been met with a lot of encouragement.”
Layers of reality – draping the world Aas explains that while her works are often based on an understanding for digital methods, similarly to Presttun’s use of photography, she is more inclined towards weaves, draping and sculptural textile art than collages. “I really like exploring themes that relate to our understanding of reality and our surroundings, and ‘translating’ them on to different surfaces. Different textures, techniques