Format at Market Stockholm 2023

10-14 May 2023

Format was participating in Market Art Fair in Stockholm 12–14 May 2023. The gallery showed works by ceramic artists Torbjørn Kvasbø and textile artist May Bente Aronsen, two established craft artists that have both exhibited extensively in Norway and abroad. Their work varies in techniques, materials and artistic approach, and they distinguish themselves with exceptional quality pieces. Kvasbø and Aronsen reflect the different tendencies within the unique and celebrated Nordic craft and design scene.

Torbjørn Kvasbø

Torbjørn Kvasbø (b. 1953) is one of the most influential representatives of contemporary ceramics and he occupies a central position in international ceramic art. Since the 1970s, he has been exploring the potential offered by clay, via its different textures and physical resistance. His monumental works, which are abstract and overtly organic, are acquired by private and public collections in Europe, Asia and the US. He has exhibited widely internationally and received numerous awards. He currently holds the position of President of the International Academy of Ceramics.

Over the recent years, Torbjørn Kvasbø has been working on the repetition and accumulation of the same hand-modeled stacked cylindric tubes and thus further developing his distinct style and exceptional understanding of the material.

May Bente Aronsen

May Bente Aronsen (b. 1962) works with monumental textiles that relate actively to space and architecture. The material is usually wool felt, and her work is characterized by precision and technical finesse, sharp-cut shapes and pierced surfaces form structures and surprising spaces. For outdoor commissions she works with different techniques and materials such as metal and wood. At Market Art Fair 2023 May Bente Aronsen will be showing a large-scale textile piece commissioned specifically for the fair.

She has had several exhibitions and art in public spaces in Norway and abroad, among them seven textile art-pieces in Stockholm Courthouse, and several selected artworks for Rãttspsykiatrisk anlegging in Flemingsberg south of Stockholm.

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