Even as the global pandemic has gradually receded, its repercussions are long-lasting. The creative force if it does not follow the course of charting the flow of the pandemic, contemplate the power of enacting its aftermath. He norwegian artist Hanne Friis was not spared from the lifestyle change with the COVID-19 when he witnessed a toll of materials transported near his apartment, for a short time, at the Citรฉ des Arts in Paris in the fall of 2021. The changing scenery conjured the play Hell by artist Gustav Vigeland Helvete in his mind as he traveled to the Rodin Museum to reflect on what is involved Hell's doors. As a creative response to the changing dynamics of life, Friis produced 15 works in a span of 12 months for display at the Vigeland Museum. He contemporary art exhibition Torrent for him textile artist currently at Galerie Maria Wettergren in Paris presents a selection of crucial works from the Vigeland Museum in Oslo.
Made using artisan sewing and folding techniques, Friis creates layers of fabric to give an abstract shape to the textile facilities. Located on the border between the body and nature, the art installations as The sky is the limit, Dance, The Wave and Flood feel his presence from the air to the ground. Many of his sculptures have titles that refer to the movement, transformation and motifs of nature, such as Wave, Flood and bright wave. The curious mind is eager to know more about the title of the exhibition. Torrent and how it talks about the shape and form of the textile art sculpture. In an interview with STIR, Friis mentions: โThe title can also refer to overwhelming emotions. The black Wave it has a dramatic and almost aggressive form; Flood is a lighter piece, while bright wave it is more indefinable. The transparent cyan plastic part The sky is the limit hangs from the ceiling; it's hard to know if the form will collapse or morph into something new."
Working with textiles could present its own set of benefits and challenges, the contemporary artist mentions; in his hands the cloth takes on a clay form. โI like working with different types of textiles because of the flexibility of the material. I model the fabric with a fold and sew technique that transforms the material into a compact mass. The challenge of working with the material is the same as the advantage; the flexibility can make it a bit difficult to assemble the part and find the perfect position. I prefer to be there and check that everything goes the way I want it toโ, confirms Friis.
The amalgamation of organic forms and synthetic materials, although paradoxical, opens up the indispensability of coexistence through the natural and artificial way of life. He has combined naturally dyed fabrics with sculptures made of leatherette and plastic. Materials are never neutral. Plastic materials remind us of the challenges we face with overconsumption, pollution, and the climate threat that brings us heat waves, rising sea levels, melting glaciers, and warming oceans. By transforming the material into organic structures, he creates a kind of new nature. Simultaneously, the spectator oscillates between the attractive tendency and the abominable one of the sculpture. To illustrate this, Friis says: bright wave It is made of viscose, which is naturally colored with extracts of oak and iron water. The piece may not be the best example of the abominable, I would describe it as melancholic, with the brutality and beauty of life and death. The surface is shiny like silver, parts of the sculpture consist of loose textiles, and other parts have powerful shapes.
The time required to create a sculptural mass is key in the creative process. Since it requires concentration and energy, the consumption of time is an extension of the bodily experience to create an abstract form of nature from textile sculptures. The approach to the sculptures is transmuted into an "expressive interpretation that is both wild and controlled." Through this exhibition, Friis explores materiality and color as language. The tactility of the sculptures forces the viewer to be present with the body and the senses, and through this reflect on what it means to be human.
Academic training in sculpture and chart at the Trondheim Academy of Fine Arts between 1992 and 1996, Friis is a name to reckon with when it comes to textile art. His works are exhibited around the world, including a major solo exhibition at the Vigeland Museum in Oslo, Norway in October 2022-2023. His works are included in several important public and private collections, to mention the National Museum of Art in Oslo; the National Museum of Decorative Arts, Trondheim, Norway; Haugar Kunstmuseum, Tรธnsberg, Norway; Museum of Decorative Arts of Western Norway, Bergen, Norway and the Norwegian Parliament in Oslo.
the exhibition Torrent by Hanne Friis is on view at Galerie Maria Wettergren in Paris until June 17, 2023.
