We are pleased to invite you to a finissage and Artist Talk in the exhibition ARTICA in residence at QSPA. The event will feature a conversation with Ellen Karin Mæhlum, an artist and former resident at Artica Svalbard, where the topic of what it means to be ‘in residence’ will be further explored.
Welcome to a memorable evening Wednesday 10 May, 18:00 - 20:00 at QSPA Exhibition Space, Operagata 65b. Refreshments will be served.
About the exhibition
Artica Svalbard is one of Norway’s leading not-for-profit residency foundations. Based in Longyearbyen, Svalbard it is a place for thinking slowly, in a fast changing world. But what does it mean to be ‘in residence’?
Working with Svalbard’s natural cycle from the midnight sun to the polar night, we place great emphasis on deep thinking around some of the most pressing issues of our time. Challenging the perspectives of the polar regions and welcoming knowledge we don’t have, in order to inspire change. This exhibition brings together works by just some of the past artists, writers and researchers with a focus towards the QSPA residents, who have stayed at Artica in Longyearbyen over the last seven years. Showing mainly works-in-progress, we hope to highlight that a residency is many things, including the opportunity to think, challenge and inspire. There is no pressure to complete a ‘finished work’, Artica is a place to test and sometimes fail.
Featured Artists: Petter Buhagen, AK Dolven, Inma Herrera, Heehyun Jeong, Ellen Karin Mæhlum, Line Prip and a work made by HM Queen Sonja during the opening of Artica Svalbard in 2016. With short films about Ignas Krunglevičius and Jessica MacMillan.
Exhibition is on view until 14 May.
About Ellen Karin Mæhlum
Ellen Karin Mæhlum is a visual artist and printmaker based in Oslo. Educated at the National Academy of Fine Art in Bergen (KHiB), Oslo (KHiO), and at the Royal University College of Fine Arts in Stockholm (KKH). Mæhlum has participated in a number of exhibitions nationally and internationally. Her work has been acquired by several public collections, including the National Gallery in Oslo and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Oslo.
The motifs in Ellen Karin Mæhlum's series of prints are mainly based on photo sketches from hiking and research expeditions in the Arctic. The visits and collaboration with the scientists from the University in Oslo (UiO) and in Bergen (UiB) have resulted in exhibitions such as GEOPRINT, PLANKTON PORTRAITS and OBSERVED. The lines between the various series are originating from Mæhlum's multifaceted concern with nature and experimental close encounters with the technical aspects of printmaking.
Ellen Karin Mæhlum at Svalbard