Format Oslo
Oslo
About the gallery
Format Oslo was founded in 1991 and is one of the leading galleries for contemporary crafts and design in Norway.
The gallery aims to strengthen the position of Norwegian contemporary crafts and design internationally. Through working with both established and emerging artists the gallery reflects the various tendencies in contemporary crafts and design today. The gallery’s aim is to challenge established norms while highlighting key values in the field by actively bringing a wider spectrum of artistic practices in material-based art to the fore.
Featured artists
Torbjørn Kvasbø (NO)
May Bente Aronsen (NO)
Introduction
Torbjørn Kvasbø
Torbjørn Kvasbø (b. 1953) is one of the most influential representatives of contemporary ceramics and 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 included in private and public collections in Europe, Asia and the US. 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.
Introduction
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.
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 Rättspsykiatrisk Anläggning in Flemingsberg south of Stockholm.


Rådhusgaten 24
N-0151 Oslo