Til minnet

In the series Tilbakeblikk [Hindsight] we examine our own institutional history by reconsidering both past exhibitions and artists who have exhibited at Oslo Kunstforening.

Til minnet [To Memory] focuses on the work of Aase Gulbrandsen (1927-2020). In 1974, Gulbrandsen exhibited at Oslo Kunstforening, in a breakthrough show that primarily showcased her charcoal works. Fifty years later, we present an exhibition that also revolves around Gulbrandsen’s significant body of work in charcoal, but also includes pastels and documentation materials never before shown, exploring various aspects of Gulbrandsen's ouevre.

The exhibition is curated by Marit Paasche, Kristine Jærn Pilgaard and Andrea Moen, in dialogue with Oslo Kunstforening. The curators have worked with the archival materials on behalf of Aase Gulbrandsens Stiftelse.

Til minnet is supported by The Bergesen Foundation, Arts and Culture Norway, Aase Gulbrandsens Stiftelse, and The Fritt Ord Foundation.

Aase Gulbrandsen 
Til minnet

Aase Gulbrandsen’s distinctive talent was quickly recognized, and soon to be confirmed through her first solo exhibition of charcoal drawings at Oslo Kunstforening in 1974, which was well received. Now, fifty years later, we can review her charcoal work from a different angle.

Aase Gulbrandsen (1927–2020) made her debut in Kunstnerforbundet in 1970, and although her formal training was limited to a life drawing class at Bjarne Engebret’s Art School, Gulbrandsen’s method was intuitive and process-oriented. She would work on certain pieces for several consecutive years, pushing herself to explore and investigate the materials even further. Her personal archive abounds with post-it notes, memos, and messages that she kept for the sake of recollection. Among her packed-up artworks several carry a note that says “til minnet” [to memory].

Aase Gulbrandsen remained active as an artist almost right until she died at age 92. This raises the question of what will happen with all that she left behind. What is the best way to sort and categorize her art; what is most crucial to preserve? From the curator’s or art historian’s point of view, it is most common to divide the work into different periods or phases, as well as according to media. 

This is also what we have attempted, albeit somewhat reluctantly, seeing that such principles of organization do not necessarily do justice to Gulbrandsen’s entire oeuvre. Yet the size of her archive demands some tough choices. She spent an incredible amount of hours producing and documenting this work, and here you will find both “blood, coal, and tears” (in her own words) and a solid dose of daredevilry.

The word corpus (body) often comes up in discussions of art, as in a body of work. This makes sense, given how individual artworks tend to be part of a greater corporeal whole, each relating to and building upon one another. But the ways in which such artistic corpora “move” or “express” themselves can be difficult to grasp and interpret for anyone besides the creator. For those standing outside it takes time. Then again, it is strikingly beautiful when we discover subtle shifts in how lines, surfaces, colors or materials are handled.

Starting from the simple message, “til minnet”, the curators have zoomed in on several charcoal series, in addition to a selection of pastels and small paintings, all dating from the 1960s and 70s. They have emphasized Aase Gulbrandsen’s practice of drawing, showing how light and charcoal darkness can emerge, with great intensity and force, from both big and small formats. Spaces emerge and collapse and, as if by magic, the artist manages to simplify and abstract, her methods seemingly minute and intuitive. The resulting expression is free and organic, but also very conscious of form.

The title of the exhibition, “Til minnet”, refers both to Aase Gulbrandsen’s life-long conversations with her own recollections and to the art that she left behind, for the benefit of memory, in a greater, collective perspective.

– Marit Paasche, Kristine Jærn Pilgaard and Andrea Moen