ISCA GALLERY

Signe Solberg, Mia Van Veen and Pearla Pigao
ELEMENTAL MATTER
25.04 - 25.05.24

ISCA Gallery is pleased to present ‘Elemental Matter’, a group exhibition with Signe Solberg, Mia Van Veen and Pearly Pigao opening Thursday April 25th 18-20:00. The exhibition centers around each artist’s unique approach to materials and sculpture, particularly in the context of the four elementary constituents of nature as described by ancient Greek philosophers - water, fire, earth and air. These basic elements are highlighted in the processes, methods and materials used by Solberg, Van Veen and Pigao, revealing the interplay between raw matter and their innovative uses.

The sound of trickling water from a large tile, stone and glass fountain sculpture resonates in the gallery. Signe Solberg’s pink, white and red “Fountain’ gently spews water from small red glass encrusted slits. Instead of the bursting, frothing sprays of water typically associated with fountains, Solberg’s fountain dribbles and trickles, continuously running streams of water down its sides. This perpetual flow hints towards the feminine body and its leaking of fluids like tears, blood, milk, sweat and spit. Solberg also combines elements from the earth such as different marbles, copper, brass and aluminum in a new series of sculptures that combine manual craftsmanship with modern technology. Layers of stone and metal are glued together to create massive blocks which are then carved and shaped to display the unique combinations of materials. A large void is present in the center of many of the pieces, allowing for air and light to pass through them, giving the impression of frames and the countless possibilities of what they could hold within.

Pearla Pigao presents a large hand-woven textile inspired by the ocean and the shapes of waves. Woven with a combination of cotton and metal wire, the textile catches the light, moving and shimmering much like the sunshine hitting the glistening surface of the sea. The undulating flow of waves is depicted as patterns woven into the textile, creating a sense of movement within the work. There is a tension between the hardness and glint of metal and the softness of the natural forms that the imagery on its surfaces invokes, such as waves in the vast ocean. Piago takes a contemporary approach to the age-old practice of weaving, often incorporating sound, digital designs and novel materials in her works. Her work effectively bridges the gap between traditional weaving technique, innovative engineering, and digital processes. Her unique weaving techniques and material combinations result in mesmerizing textures and patterns. There is a continual interaction and translation between the hand, tradition and digital technology in her work.

Mia Van Veen uses extreme levels of heat to create molten metal paintings, replacing paint and canvas with combinations of tin, brass, copper, aluminum and steel. The two large works presented in the exhibition are a continuation of the artist’s investigation into the potentiality of adhesion and fusion of disparate metals to create scintillating surfaces and flowing motifs. Sheets of hot-rolled steel go through a process of acid application and grinding to create groves in which the red-hot tin melts down from a soldering iron. Metal is treated like paint, pushed and moved around the surface in varying thicknesses like brushstrokes. The subject of the swirling layer of molten tin reference the tradition of Norwegian rosemaling, a style of decorative painting which emerged in the eighteenth century parallel to other ornamental moments such as Rococo in France. This beautiful, flowing and somewhat delicate approach to painting appears in sharp contrast with the cold hardness of the metal. Through manipulating with heat, acids and abrasions, Van Veen effectively alters the way in which materials they are viewed and perceived. The dark steel background takes on a velvet like smoothness while the rivers of molten tin flow with lush undulations. The juxtaposing of materials and stylistic renditions capture an uncanny combination of the raw and the refined.

Signe Solberg (b. 1985, Froland) holds an MFA and BFA from Oslo National Academy of the Arts in 2011 and 2009 respectively. She has recently had solo exhibitions at Trøndelag Center for Contemporary Art, Trondheim, 2023; Kristiansand Kunsthall, 2021; Bomuldsfabriken Kunsthall, Arendal, 2017; and Vigeland Musuem, Oslo, 2015. Public commissions include Kirkenes hospital, Norwegian Health Archives, Kolbotn school, Oslo Central Station, REV Ocean Research Vessel and Torbjørnsbu Art Arena. Her works have been purchased by a number of public and private art collections including Sørlandets Kunstmuseum, Oslo municipality's art collection, Bomuldsfabriken Kunsthall, Norges Bank and Equinor Art Programme. In 2023 she was commissioned to travel to and make a series of new works for the exhibition Hierro taking place at Estudio Figueroa-Vives, Havana, Cuba. Solberg currently lives and works in Hobøl, Norway.

Mia Van Veen (b. 1986, Oslo) holds an MFA from Iceland Academy of the Arts, and a BFA from Emily Carr University in Vancouver. Recent exhibitions include Lounge for new people, Hulias, Oslo, 2022; Foodbank fundraiser, Trapp Projects, Vancouver, 2022; Tombac, Sagene kunstsmie, Oslo, 2022; External rotation, ISCA gallery, Oslo, 2022; Obsolete solar system, Galleri Memphis, Oslo, 2021; Fasciae, Jane/KOSA, Oslo, 2020, A fruitbowl three ways, Yac Tac, Vancouver, 2020; Beyond human impulses, Mengi, Reykjavik, 2019; The world belongs to everyone, not just a few, Nylo, Reykjavik, 2017. In 2018 she was an artist-in residence at the Banff Centre, Alberta with a grant from the Canadian Arts Council. Recent publications include an article in Canadian Art Magazine with a text by Yasmin Nurming-Por, and 2021 book Fasciae by Jane/ KOSA. One of her performances with Artist Gudrún Tara Sveinsdóttir was included in Gallery Mengis book Beyond human impulses, 2019. Van Veen currently lives and works in Oslo.

Pearla Pigao (b. 1984 Lillesand) received her BFA and MFA from Oslo National Academy of the Arts in 2015 and 2017 respectively. She has had several exhibitions nationally and internationally, which include the National Museum, Helsinki Contemporary, Den Frie, Gallery F15, Hannah Ryggen Triennale, Kunsthall Trondheim, Kunstnerforbundet, Bomuldsfabrikken Kunsthall, Soft gallery, Atelier Nord, Norwegian Presence in Milan, Kunsthall Charlottenborg and Design Museum Denmark. Pigao's work has been purchased by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the Consulate General in New York, The National Museum, Helsinki Art Museum, KORO's collection, Nordenfjeldske Art Industry Museum, Sogn og Fjordane Art Museum, Vest Lofoten High School, Sørlandet Art Museum and the Finnish National Gallery for Contemporary Art Kiasma. She has upcoming solo exhibitions at Kunstnerenes hus, Oslo, NO, and TEKS, Trondheim Electronic Art senter, NO. Pigao currently lives and works in Oslo.

WORKS