Torbjørn Kvasbø defines himself as an abstract expressionist and is known for burning his monumental sculptures in the large, woodburning kiln in his backyard. In this interview by André Gali, we learn about Torbjørn Kvasbø’s road to ceramics and how exhibiting, networking, and teaching, across three continents, has contributed to his standing as one of the world’s leading ceramic artists.

Brit Fuglevaag is one of Norway's foremost textile artists through several decades. Fuglevaag's practice is founded on traditional loom weaving, but incorporates a multitude of unconventional techniques and materials, including found objects, plastic and paper waste, feathers and mooring ropes. In this interview with community development curator Zoe Black from Objectspace, Aotearoa New Zealand, we are invited into Fuglevaag's home. The interview also features a short film, made by Norwegian Crafts.

Tone Vigeland’s art springs from a direct encounter between her hands and her materials. For more than fifty years, she has created jewellery and sculptures that combine simple craft techniques with stringent aesthetics – works apparently liberated from any possible intellectual approach. Perhaps this is why people the world over describe her art as both timeless and placeless, and sometimes even magical.

Artist Liv Blåvarp creates spectacular and sculptural necklaces and bracelets out of wood. Her creations are built by individually shaping smaller pieces of wood and joining them together in a spiraling construction, for maximum wearability. In this interview by Reinhold Ziegler we learn more about how Blåvarp came to work with wood, and how she developed the technical competence to create wearable pieces of art.

In this conversation, Irene Snarby talks to duojar Perisak Juuso about landscapes and Sámi place names, and about the in-depth knowledge you need in order to find the right burls, roots, and antlers to make beautiful duodji.

The Swedish-Norwegian textile artist Hannah Ryggen (1894-1970) wove tapestries using locally sourced wool and plant dyes from her and her artist husband Hans Ryggen’s farm on Fosen, by the Trondheim fjord; yet her activist tapestries offer a rich political commentary on global events such as Mussolini’s invasion of Ethiopia, the Vietnam war, and Nazism’s emergence in Europe. In this article by Line Ulekleiv, we are invited to investigate the relevance of Ryggen’s practice in contemporary society, and the reasons behind her rising popularity in recent years.

Marit Tingleff makes large earthenware dishes that won’t fit on a dining table. In this interview by Christer Dynna she relates this format to the porcelain and fine china that was once part of a broad culture and tradition carried mainly by women, and which has since been relegated to flea markets or – at best – the kitchen cupboard.

The internationally acclaimed Polish artist Magdalena Abakanowicz (1930–2017) contributed to a new epoch in textile art in the 1960s. Her exhibitions in Norway triggered increased interest in textile-based art in the country, and her authoritative attitude as a female artist was pioneering. In this article by Runa Boger we learn more about her influence on the next generation of textile artists.

Rasmussen’s artistic practice combines different expressions related to other craft traditions and painting. Her works are characterised by bold colours and geometric patterns juxtaposed with floral imagery. In this article by Marit Øydegard we get a closer look at the exhibition 'Retellings and Myths', a collaboration with Terje Nordby – a playwright, radio celebrity and ‘mythologist in private practice.’ The textiles themselves tell stories, but through Nordby’s reflections, they take on an added dimension.

In this essay, artist and critic Tommy Olsson reflects on John K. Raustein's exhibition When Everything Falls into Place that was exhibited at Kunstnerforbundet in Oslo, in 2019 – an immersive, site-specific textile installation.

In this essay, Zofia Cielatkowska examines the work of Karen Kviltu Lidal, which explores society, architecture, and public life from the starting point of the physical body. Kviltu Lidal moves freely between art forms such as weaving, installation, and video documentation, but textiles prevail as her basic point of reference in both the metaphorical and literal sense.

In this conversation with artist Aslaug Juliussen, Hilde Sørstrøm delves into Juliussen's sustainable approach to material transformation. While her installations and sculptures are made using materials and technique from her Sámi heritage, Juliussen always seek to evolve and transform the materials into something new.

In this interview, André Gali talks to textile artist Ellen Grieg about her dyeing processes, working sculpturally with rope and her artistic practice as a long-term research project.

This essay by Toril Moi investigates the power of textiles, as a potentially feminist endeavour. The essay was published in the exhibition catalogue for Ode til en Vaskeklut, Hymne til en Tiger, a survey of textile art from Norway in connection with the 40th anniversary of Norwegian Textile Artists (2017).

In this interview with artist Franz Schmidt by Gjertrud Steinsvåg we are introduced to the exhibition Weaving Fabrics for Suits at Oslo Art Society and Schmidt’s experience working with decommissioned industrial woolen mills. Schmidt’s artistic practice involves weaving fabrics, tailoring garments, and collecting historical objects – an exercise which closely examines how material things become imbued with emotional significance.

Jessica Hemmings reflects on the textile works of artist Toril Johannessen and her exhibition Unlearning Optical Illusions. At first sight, Johannessen’s works evoke connotations to the patterns found on West-African textiles but at a closer look, these patterns explore and challenge early theories on optical illusions.