EXPO ‘FLOW by Anna Norrgrann’ – OHMYBLUE!, Venezia (IT) – 29 Avril-15 Mai 2016

FLOW by Anna Norrgrann     OHMYBLUE is pleased to host the solo exhibition of the Swedish artist Anna Norrgrann

April 29th 2016 – 6.00 PM

We are glad to present « FLOW » by Anna Norrgrann.
“I’m attracted to the qualities in different kinds of metal that make them perform in various ways, depending on the treatment. I see my work as collaboration between these qualities in the material and my own technical skills. Im searching for the unexpected and aiming to set up a poetic jewellery show speaking to spectators senses rather the to the intellect.”
In this exhibition Anna Norrgrann will present both works from her newest project A Flow within and a Flight from a Standard Size and also from the previous and on going project, Impulse Palette.

Anna Norrgrann – Studio View

Pile of Anna Norrgrann’s A4 aluminum sheets/necklaces in her studio, photo: artist

Anna Norrgrann – From series: The Flow within and the Flight from a Standard Size

« The Flow within and Flight from a Standard Format, your most recent collection of work, tackles the commonplace paper size A4 [a European sheet that measures 8.27 x 11.69 inches.—ed.]. What is it about this subject that drew you in?
Anna Norrgrann: In a way, this project is a continuation of my previous work about creating spaces, the frame, and how you choose size and shape. A4 is something we take for granted, almost like something we think is given by nature, but it is also made up. As I thought more and more about this shape, its meaning grew and I discovered new intellectual aspects to it.
I think it’s interesting how thinking and doing come together: When I started to work with A4-sized sheets of metal in my hands, new thing added to my understanding of the shape and my own relationship to it. In the same way that children play to understand the grownup world, I think making may sometimes have the same influence on the understanding of a subject, even though I wouldn’t draw a strong line between craft and play; craft is work. 
I then wanted to investigate what would happen if A4 were put on the human body as a piece of jewelry, outside its natural context, if we then would look at it differently. »

Una bella intervista di Art Jewelry Forum ad Anna Norrgrann, in occasione della sua prossima mostra « FLOW » che inaugurerà prossimamente ad Ohmyblue. // So very happy to share with you this great interview by Olivia Shih for ART JEWELRY FORUM to Anna Norrgrann about her upcoming show « FLOW » at OHMYBLUE

Anna Norrgrann – From series: The Flow within and the Flight from a Standard Size

« Anna Norrgrann, an emerging Swedish jewelry artist, is already making waves as the 2015 Graduate of the Year at Klimt02 and by exhibiting her collection of deceptively simple jewelry in the Netherlands, Spain, and China. In this interview, we talk about Anna’s favored medium of anodized aluminum, and transforming a mistake into a method. »

« Olivia Shih: You recently graduated from the HDK Academy of Design and Crafts, in Gothenburg, after studying with Karin Johansson. How has this education influenced the way you work and the work itself?
Anna Norrgrann: I think the education has made me more self-reliant in my work and made me trust my guts more, and this I am very grateful for. At HDK you are given a lot of freedom to explore and experiment and in many ways choose your own way to work. This freedom hasn’t always been easy to handle, especially not in the beginning, but in the long run it has had the good result and effect of helping me become a professional jewelry artist. »

Anna Norrgrann, piece from the series imPulse Palette, 2014, brooch, aluminum, 170 x 100 mm, photo: artist

 

« Anodized aluminum appears to be your favored choice of medium. What possibilities do you see in aluminum in place of traditional precious metals?
Anna Norrgrann: I started working with aluminum just as a trial and then I realized there was something intriguing and challenging in this everyday metal, not only as a sketching material, but in itself. As I worked with the metal more and more, many possibilities appeared. For example I discovered the advantage of coloring the aluminum with the anodizing technique, or how I could transform the surface of the metal to make the color appear different. The low-density process gave me the possibility to work in a bigger scale; meanwhile, the anodizing process makes the surface very strong and this also enabled me to work with thin sheets of aluminum.
Let me put it like this: I did not expect as much from aluminum as from precious metals, and I think that was something that made me curious. »

Anna Norrgrann -  Necklace: A4.3, 2015 – Aluminum – 19 x 4 x 29 cm  Photo by: Anna Norrgrann
From series: The Flow within and the Flight from a Standard Size

« At times subtle and at times striking, color plays an essential role in your work and evokes a range of emotions. How did your relationship with color evolve?
Anna Norrgrann: I’m experimenting with color and because I don’t come from a painting background, I don’t have too much respect for color. I believe this is not a disadvantage. To me it’s a representation of moods, feelings, and fascination, among other things. Using the anodizing technique the way I do requires focus and quick decisions and it’s a great way to capture reflections and impulses. Sometimes when a certain color combination appears, I travel in time, remembering something I have forgotten. This process has a lot to with presence and sometimes the presence is very colorful and sometimes it’s monochrome. « 

Anna Norrgrann, piece from the series The Flow within and Flight from a Standard Size shown in the studio, 2015, necklace, 210 x 297 mm, photo: artist

« « The color flows in the forged surface and together with the format it evokes landscape, feelings and memories. Known and unknown.
A4, in this work, is meant to be worn on the body. I let it become a piece of jewelry with simple methods, drilling a hole, threading a string, tying a knot. When something normal to us is put in a new context or wrong context, it might be the first time we actually see it. » Anna Norrgrann

Anna Norrgrann works and studied in Gothenburg, Sweden and took her master degree in jewellery art at HDK, School of Design and Crafts 2015.

 

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