Scan Magazine | Gallery of the Month | Norway
Left: Our Day, nursery embellishment by Marit Bergem. Right: Marit Bergem. Photo: Paal Andre Schwital
Gallery of the Month, Norway
Colourful paintings inspired by childlike simplicity “Inspired by the endless treasure chamber of nature and the simplicity of children’s expressions, I aim to convey a personal message,” says painter and gallery owner Marit Bergem. By Stian Sangvig | Photos: Galleri M
Bergem founded Galleri M, located centrally in Sandefjord on the western side of the Oslo Fjord, in 2006 to exhibit and sell her paintings. Rather than being inspired by other painters, Bergem was driven by an inner desire to express herself. “I was always creative as a child,” she explains. Ideas for new paintings may appear in her mind at any time, for example while noticing colours of fabrics, animals and people, hearing particular words or even waking up from particular dreams at night. “Following moments like these, I sense an urge to start sketching immediately, in order not to lose the idea,” she continues. Bergem lives for the moment and lets her mind carry her away, often not knowing how a painting will end up when she 110 | Issue 99 | April 2017
starts painting it. Her paintings often find themselves at the crossroads between joy and vulnerability, and the titles tend to bring the spectators new perspectives. “I also enjoy being surprised by the perceptions of other people, which may vary from mine,” says Bergem. After years of painting in her spare time, she exhibited and sold paintings at an exhibition for the first time in 1994. She was warmly received and her work sold well, and many successful exhibitions followed. In 2000, she moved to Sandefjord from her native Sunndalsøra west of Trondheim. Health challenges prompted Bergem to leave her nursery job and provided her with the opportunity to open her own gallery in 2006.
Bergem frequently participates in exhibitions and holds private viewings. One of her current projects is the embellishments of the children’s area and meeting rooms of a nursery close to her hometown. “This project allows me to continue my focus on the simple and direct communication of children,” she says. Her plans for the future simply consist of continuing to inspire people with her colourful, almost childlike paintings.
For more information, please visit: www.gallerim.no