Norwegian ceramic art goes modern

THE making of glass and ceramics is a tradition in Norway. The oldest glassworks in the country is Hadeland Glassverk which was founded in 1762 and is still in existence today.

Although some craftsmen have chosen to maintain the craft in their traditional objects such as plates, pots and vases, many have injected new ideas to produce contemporary pieces.

These contemporary pieces are no longer placed on dinner tables, instead they decorate shelves and become showpieces in galleries.

“Norwegian-glassmaking dates back to the 18th century, when local farmers gave up tilling the soil to work together with glassblowers, engravers and other master craftsmen from abroad.

“Similarly, the ceramic arts are part of an age-old tradition of crafmanship and the field of ceramics in Norway has been dominated bycraftspeople whose roots are in pottery.

Pleasing sight: Visitors admiring the display.

“But since 1945, Norwegian contemporary glass art and ceramics have particularly undergone interesting developments,” said the ambassador of the Royal Norwegian Embassy to Malaysia Arild Braastad.

He said contemporary glass and ceramic artists had used their creativity and imagination, turning the pieces into decorative art.

Some artists even chose their work as a medium to express their feelings and emotions on certain issues.

Their work features images of absurd and surrealistic figures instead of the beautiful glassware and ceramics that are commonly placed on dining table.

Such artworks are now on display at Wisma Soka Gakkai Malaysia in Jalan Bukit Bintang until Sunday.

The show, jointly organised by the Norwegian Embassy and Soka Gakkai Malaysia, features more than 50 pieces of glass and ceramic works by Norwegian artists.

Most of the artworks in the show use trolls, which is a traditional Norwegian supernatural figure, as the central theme.

The Norwegian Contemporary Glass and Ceramic Exhibition has travelled the world since 2000. The pieces have been shown in several places including New York, Tokyo, Beijing, Sydney and Helsinki.

“It is good that it is now presented in Malaysia.

“I am delighted that the exhibition is being exhibited for the second time in Kuala Lumpur.

“Last year it was held at the National Art Gallery and now here at Soka Gakkai,” said Braastad.

The pieces are done by both established and budding artists in the country.

Braastad added that the exhibition was being held to share the uniqueness and wide range within contemporary glass-art and ceramics in Norway with the world. He also hoped that the show could provide some inspiration to local artists and art communities in Malaysia.