Erased by Tamara Marbl Joka, Variations in Porcelain by Bodil Manz and NK50 Anniversary

Artist list

Jeanne-Sophie Aas, Toril Bjorg, Joel Correia, Kristine Ervik, Ellen Grieg, Ina Kristine Hove, Thomas Iversen, Kjersti Johannessen, Karen Klim, Bodil Manz, Tamara Marbl Joka, Henriette Mauritz Nordbeck, Anne Thomassen, Grete Wexels Riser, Beth Wyller, Hanne Øverland

Tamara Marbl Joka
Erased

Tamara Marbl Joka explores her memories connected to the character of a specific place, conveying the ambivalence she feels toward it. The small instances of physical destruction she recalls have only deepened her sense of belonging. These elements form a unique language of the place. The place once existed, but little is known about it today. Few remember its name, and much of the information is gradually vanishing, just as intended.

Memory is the capacity to recall past events. Only individuals possess the ability to remember and reconstruct personal experiences and images from the past. Collective forgetting refers to how societies selectively remember and misremember. Memory is inherently personal; the notion that a collective can remember is a myth. American professors of psychology William Hirst and Charles B. Stone (2015)* describe forgeFng as examples of making pasts difficult to access.

If we examine the historical and philosophical roots of cancel culture, the main “cancellation ritual” was erasure from memory. Power dynamics shape the forma?on of identities, particularly through the destruction or silencing of targeted groups. The main idea is that those in positions of authority have the ability to control which narratives are remembered and which are forgotten. This suggests that societal and cultural influences shape individuals' desires and choices, thereby restricting their genuine autonomy.

Exhibition in Format Project Space.

*Hirst, W. & Stone, C.B. (2015). A Unified Approach to CollecAve Memory: Sociology, Psychology and the Extended Mind. In S. KaMago (Ed.), The Ashgate Research Companion to Memory Studies. Surrey: Ashgate.


Bodil Manz
Variations in Porcelain

Working with ceramic materials is a lifelong process with materials that are both challenging and seductive. Technical and artistic processes constantly intersect, and to achieve what you set out to do, you have to get them both right at the same time. Sometimes, it feels like falling off the horse and getting back in the saddle, again and again. But I do, because clay is my material. It keeps me going.
The simple cylinder form in thin porcelain is a theme that I keep returning to and always find interesting to revisit. The light filtering through the translucent body is an important element, it brings the inside and the outside together in a unified composition.
I see the cylinder as a sheet of paper where I can express myself in light of current experiences and where I am in life. Every cylinder goes through many thought processes and technical steps before I set it free.


NK50 Anniversary
Anne Thomassen, Beth Wyller, Ellen Grieg, Grete Wexels Riser, Hanne Øverland, Henriette Mauritz Nordbeck, Ina Kristine Hove, Jeanne-Sophie Aas, Joel Correia, Karen Klim, Kjersti Johannessen, Kristine Ervik, Thomas Iversen and Toril Bjorg.

Format celebrates The Norwegian Association for Arts and Crafts' 50th anniversary with a group exhibition in the gallery's exhibition space and sales area. The anniversary exhibition is a collaboration between the gallery and NK Oslo, and aims to present The Norwegian Association for Arts and Crafts' long history with craft artists associated with the Oslo area. The 14 NK Oslo members selected showcase the variations within the field in terms of age, expression, materials, and techniques. The exhibition will familiarize the public with the craft field in Oslo and the diversity it possesses. Crafts are an important part of Oslo's culture, where both quality and development are expressed through the work of NK Oslo's 343 members.
The selection is made by NK Oslo member John K. Raustein and NK Oslo regional leader Ebbe Arneberg, together with Format's managing director, Irija Øwre.
The exhibition is supported by Norske Kunsthåndverkere in connection with the 50th anniversary of Norske Kunsthåndverkere in 2025.