Dear Norwegian Textile Letter friends,
God sommar! I’ll bet that many of you can remember times that you passed up a treasure in an antique store or an auction. I still can’t believe I didn’t buy a Swedish lion tapestry for sale at a Scandinavian celebration in Phoenix several years ago. But today you can read about the Swedish lion that Kristina Bielenberg did buy, and is preserving for coming generations. Enjoy “A Red Lion and Castle Flamskväv from Skåne.”
If you are traveling to Norway this summer, be sure to see the exhibit at the Nasjonalmuseum: “Britta Marrakatt-Labba: Moving the Needle.“
This is a detail of exquisite embroidery in a piece by Marrakatt-Labba, Motstånd [Resistance]. I saw it in a recent show at the American Swedish Institute. If you see her work, I guarantee you will be stepping close to admire her workmanship and follow the stories she relates through thread.
The Glasslåven kunstsenter & atelier in Gran, Norway, has a summer exhibit of work by a German-born artist working in Bergen, Daniela Bergschneider. Her works made of porcelain pieces covered in flexible fabric are skeleton-like or spiky. I find them almost spooky and so captivating. You can see her process in this video.
And if you are in Bergen, be sure to see this lovely Frida Hansen transparent tapestry!
Watch for more interim articles this summer. Keep in touch with ideas or comments.
Robbie LaFleur
lafleur1801@me.com