On Thursday, August 21st, the Norwegian artist collective Institutt for Farge introduced their show SOLO in the gallery space of Rogaland Kunstsenter. For this exhibition, the artists have chosen to create completely new works. As the members of Institutt for Farge often work together to create a collective result, the process of making SOLO included swapping materials and using each other’s work as a base upon which to build. Their work could be characterized as playful yet critical of the idea of art itself, the process of creating it, and how it is viewed by an audience. On the opening night, in addition to serving homemade cocktails, the artists performed a play written to accompany the exhibition.

Concurrently in Studio 17, Karina Kazlauskaite held an opening for her show, Blåbærkunst, which is part of an ongoing project that stemmed from the artist’s experience in working at a nursing home. In her attempt to show the viewers a more magical side of the everyday, she uses objects like paper napkins, fish tins and even pig bladders and transforms them into something new using precious metals and stones.

On Friday, August 22nd at Prosjektrom Normanns, two Miami-based artists Leyden Rodriguez-Casanova and Frances Trombly premiered their show TEXTURES OF PLACE. The exhibition, which consisted of work created during the artists’ 3-week stay in Norway, is fittingly centered around the idea of how the subjective consciousness is affected by new physical places and spaces.

Torbjørn Rødland’s vernissage for The Yellow Shell at Kunsthall Stavanger was held on Saturday the 23rd, and is this year’s ONS exhibition. The Stavanger born artist exhibits images that are deceivingly simple, yet have a complex symbolism to them. He portrays a variety of everyday situations, people, landscapes and still life — both constructed and not. This seemingly simple subject matter morphs into images with captivating appearances and an ambivalent meanings.