Prosjektrom Normanns. Transcendental Tactility

About

Transcendental Tactility is a group exhibition curated by Norwegian artist-run space Prosjektrom Normanns that will explore abstract, poetic, and lyric expressions of existence and presence. Showcasing works by Norwegian contemporary artists Per Christian Brown, Benedicte Clementsen, Elin Melberg, Margrethe Aanestad, and Kristin Velle-George, Transcendental Tactility will utilize a variety of media, such as film, painting, textile, sculpture, and drawing. Working with a shared interest in materiality and techniques, artists included in this exhibit will explore personal and universal experience through abstraction. Underlining sensibilities, tactility, and fragility inherent in materials, work included in this exhibit excavates timeless and subjective forms. Transcendental Tactility invites the audience to explore the subjective history within objects, their own subjective perceptions, and larger themes of time and presence.

Recognizing the contradictions within the artists’ work, Transcendental Tactility will serve to highlight the overlapping themes within their practices. Aanestads´ minimalist work revolves around form, spatiality and materiality, which she explores in a contemplative and abstract language. Melberg examines points of intersection–where is the line between being in control and losing control? How much can the materials take before they burst or fray? Placing greater focus on the psychology of color and material, Brown dwells on that which is hidden and exploring micro- and macro-cosms. Clementsen is interested in the man-made, exploring survival strategies and transition rituals that address existential questions, while Velle-George is occupied by the space between human knowledge and imagination, focusing on the physical and metaphysical concepts. An overarching theme of materiality pervades the show, but ultimately the collective narrative created by the artists is ambiguous and the viewer’s perspective and subjectivity becomes key in extracting meaning.

Open Source collaborated with Prosjektrom Normanns and the individual artists over several years, through various exhibitions and projects. Established in 2011, Prosjektrom Normanns is a non-profit exhibition space located in Stavanger, Norway. The project space is run by its members, artists Margrethe Aanestad, Kristin Velle-George, Elin Melberg. Prosjektrom Normanns exhibits both national and international artists, primarily focusing on site-specific exhibitions and exchange with spaces and initiatives across the globe. The group is active in collaborations with art institutions such as Kunsthall Stavanger, Rogaland Kunstsenter and Rogaland Art College. The Prosjektrom Normanns exhibition program is supported by the City of Stavanger, Rogaland County and the Norwegian Arts Council.