Sub Rosa
2021
250 x150 cm Roots, twigs, metal wire, paper pulp, metal pins.
The wall based artwork Sub Rosa is put together by recycled and found objects from different periods of time.
The small Buddha-heads were made after traveling in China and India many years ago. The «flowers» were original outgrowths on birch trees. I picked them when I was skiing on Varangervidda, during a residency in Vadsø the winter 2007. The small «trees» are from walks in my neighborhood, while the roots where found when digging in the garden.
Roots is a central and recurrent theme in my artwork. Roots are fundament in life for man and nature; we are in a way bound to nature. As the most important but hidden part of the plant, the roots have their own underground logic. They spread tirelessly, forming themselves as networks in secret and reminding us of repressed parts of ourselves.
Green
2021
150 x150 cm Roots, twigs, paper, paper pulp, iron wire, plastic, wood, pigment, metal pins
Green consists of recycled and found objects pinned on the wall. The object I have picked with me trough many years on my travels in Europe and India, Africa, the Middle East and the Far East.
It is thought-provoking to experience how similar the waste we leave behind is, a reminder of that we are similar to each others on many levels..
Usnea
2014
ca 250 x 260 cm Handspun wool, silk, beard lichen.
The artwork USNEA is made of hand-spun wool, silk and beard lichen( Usnea). Usnea is one of the most unique organisms on the planet. It is known as natural antibiotic and has been used medicinally for at least a thousand years. Usnea is also very sensitive to environmental disturbances, especially air pollution, and is thus nature’s own sensor. So my work is both a tribute to nature and a reminder of human dependence on it .
Irmin
2011/2014
Metal wire, cotton fabric, glue, paper pulp, silk threads.
I am seeking to create ties between past and the present, between culture and nature. Many of the archaic myths deal with the collision of chaos and order. Archetypes like the snake, the tree of life and the cross are found in many cultures, symbolizing human beings experience with chaos and order in the world.
IRMIN is an ancient Saxon word and is synonymous with the snake Jormundgandr, the giant sea serpent surrounding Midgard, the world of mortal men in Norse mythology. It may also be connected with the tree of life, Yggdrasil.
Ode to the roots
Møre og Romsdal Kunstsenter 2010
Rauland Kunstforening 2011
Gallery RAM 2012
2010/2011/2012
Gjertrud Hals and Torill Brosten
Room installations, 25 square meter – 60 square meter. Roots, moss, lichen, mud, pine needles
Ode to the roots was made together with Torill Brosten, and was exhibited three places: in Prosjektgalleriet, Møre og Romsdal Kunstsenter 2010, in Rauland Kunstforening 2011, and in Gallery RAM 2012.
The installation was made after that we in the summer 2009 had made the land art piece«Her kor eg står kan eg sjå dalen», and we wanted somehow to develop it further, indoors. We wanted it to be more three dimensional than the former piece, and to be able to move in-between the elements. We used our background as fiber artists to weave it together to form a creature, looking like it was trying to make its way out of the room..
In Rauland Kunstforening and in Gallery Ram we developed the installation in different directions, as landscapes you could walk through.
However, all the way the roots played an important role, as a fundamental part of life for man and nature.
Vedbju
2008
135 x 230 cm. Network/ tapestry. Linen thread, dyed beard lichen.
The word «vedbju» is a Norwegian dialect word, describing how the branches get bowed down by wet snow. The material used for Vedbju, beard lichen, was collected in the wood under these optimal conditions.
The inspiration for Vedbju also comes from the ancient Shinto Shrines I have seen in Japanese woods. Some of them are temporary structures, that gradually become overgrown with moss and trees, before being finally reclaimed by nature.
Insects and spiders
2003-2022
5-15 cm. Found objects, twigs, roots, metal wire, thread and fibers.
I have always been fascinated by the small living organisms, like insects and spiders. I have been studying, and making them, as fantasy-creatures, since childhood. Earlier it was mostly for fun, but with the last decades knowledge of the decline of insect species, it has gradually got another dimension.
I often use the insects together with other objects, making installations, like Rondo, Green and Sub Rosa.
Rondo
2005-2020
Diam 150-300 cm. Twigs, roots, metal wire, fibers, metal pins.
For years I have collected small roots and twigs on my mountain hikes. Many of these findings are from the Dovrefjell Mountains, a mountain range in central Norway, where I spend some time every year. I have exhibited these «mandalas» on different locations, the last place was at TEFAF, Maastricht in 2020.
With the number of things happening in world today, it sometimes feels right to focus on a small segment by conserving a part of it. It reminds me of my collections of shells and insects from my childhood. It has always given me great pleasure to create order out of chaos.