Astrid Sleire

Opphold (Respite)

10 August - 24 September 2023

Astrid Sleire has created several new works for the exhibition based on earlier research from the series Flak (Flakes), begun in 2021, and from works for the exhibition Falle til føye (Give Way), presented at Kunstgarasjen in Bergen in January 2023. The flakes are formed using one and the same starting point. Some are free-standing thanks to a foot or support positioned at an angle. Others join together and are allowed to lean against each other. They fold outwards and inwards in a zig-zag that creates narrow openings and gaps in the overall form. The colours are built up gradually and in layers, simultaneously as the flakes are shaped and repeatedly fired in the kiln. The basis for the colour palette lies within a scale of moods that change in relation to the weather: from light to thick cloud cover, from downpour to the hope of a dry patch – like a glimmer of respite between rain showers. The ceramic flakes are arranged in groups that establish spaciousness and depth. In this way, interaction arises between the works.
 
Sleire's abstract sculptures in clay can trigger associations to a fundamental and specific landscape. The ceramic works can be seen as fragments that refer to surroundings undergoing change – to that which remains unfinished but is always developing.

Astrid Sleire (b. 1961) studied at the National College of Art and Design, Bergen, graduating in 1988. Sleire has exhibited widely in Norway and abroad. Her works have been acquired by several public collections, such as the City of oslo Art Collection; the National Museum, Oslo; KODE Art Museum and Composer Homes, Bergen; Sørlandets Kunstmuseum, Kristiansand; Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum, Tromsø; the National Museum of Decorative Arts and Design, Trondheim; and Keramikmuseum Westerwald, Höhr-Grenzhausen, Germany. Sleire also has several public art commissions and she has held the position as associate professor of ceramics and clay at the Faculty of Fine Art, Music and Design (KMD), University of Bergen.