Istvan Listez, Armchair, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

A Cool Wind Blows: Sculpture from Norway

November 29 – December 29, 2013 251 EAST HOUSTON ST NEW YORK, NY 1OOO2

Opening Reception: Fri Nov 29, 6pm–8pm

WWW.NO-SPHERE.ORG

In collaboration with NOoSPHERE Arts in New York, The National Association of Norwegian Sculptors (NBF) has organized an exhibition by 13 Norwegian artists working in 3D.  In our opinion, this selection represents a cross-section of contemporary Norwegian sculpture, in terms of technique, content and the participants’ age distribution.

The National Association of Norwegian Sculptors has a long tradition and history. It was founded in 1948 to ensure professionalism in the process of commissioning public artwork for the erection of war monuments after World War II. The association has since remained a major political and cultural agent and promoter of Norwegian sculptors. 

The association’s membership has evolved from representing only traditional sculptors working primarily in stone, wood and bronze, to including all kinds of 3D media. The majority of professional Norwegian artists working in 3D are members of the association, which currently has a high level of activity. Through its self-initiated Sculpture Arena East project, the window gallery Project Room Carl Berner and further collaborations with art institutions at home and abroad, the association is a major producer of temporary exhibitions and projects in public spaces. The Norwegian Sculpture Biennial organized by the association is the major national sculpture event and has become an important platform for the contemporary art scene in the country. In addition, the association deals with the sale, rental and dissemination of 3D artwork and serves as a trade union for its members. In light of all of this, the association is at the very core of the community of Norwegian sculptors.

The artists represented in A Cool Wind Blows were selected by an internal jury of professional peers comprised of Åsil Bøtun, Gisle Harr, and Reidar Kraugerud.

The participating artists are Paul Brandt, Barbara Czapran, Helen Eriksen, Håkon Anton Fagerås, Sverre Hoel, Anlaug Jakobsen, Janne Kruse, Istvan Listez, Pierre Lionel Matte, Tonje Ramstad, Mari Røysamb, Vigdis Storsveen , Ståle Sørensen and Lucie Noël Thune.

Spanning traditional and new media, the materials used range from wax, wood, stone, leather and bronze to video, photography, mixed media and ready-mades. There is also a greatly varying emphasis on concept versus craftsmanship. If this exhibition allows us to detect a current trend in contemporary Norwegian sculpture, it would be a reawakened interest in the concrete object and its material properties, where the poetry lies in the work itself and its physical dialogue with the surroundings and the audience.

Håkon Anton Fagerås's classically-executed marble figure and Tonje Ramstad's assembled objects constitute the two extremes in this exhibition, which is intended as a small sampling of the great diversity in the contemporary Norwegian sculpture scene.

NOoSPHERE Arts is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization incorporated as a NYS nonprofit on 10.04.11 under the original name of .NO – Art from Elsewhere, Inc

We are located at 251 East Houston Street, between Norfolk & Suffolk Streets. The closest subway stop is Second Avenue – Lower East Side on the F-train. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Sunday 12– 6pm. For more information or to arrange a viewing, please contact the gallery manager at (646) 389-8229 or mail@no-in-nyc.org

Ståle Sørensen, Hunting Towers (several together), 2012

Vigdis Storsveen, Hvervenbukta, 2005

Håkon Anton Fageraas, Pillow, 2010

Barbara Czapran, Wall Object No. 1, 2010

Mari Røysamb, Implode, 2004

Sverre Hoel, Monument, 2011

Annlaug Jacobsen, Sitting on Knees I, 2012

Paul Brandt, Squaring the Circle, 2012