Monika Mørck
Den store veven (The Large Loom)
Vindussalen (The Window Hall)
11.01.24–18.02.24.
Monika Mørck's installation, Den store veven (The large loom), is shown in Vindussalen (the window hall). The exhibition invites you to observe the textiles individually up close, from a distance as overlapping, and as a total installation that you can navigate through. Mørck uses the inherent properties and applications of the textile as a starting point: The way it delimits or opens up a space and its cultural role as a decorative textile where materiality, structure, and ornamentation relate to its surroundings and the contemporary world.
In the exhibition, Mørck repurposes silk from her previous site-specific works. As a result of being displayed outdoors, the material bears the marks of nature’s wear. The silk has then been processed through a technique of plant printing and dyed using plants from her own garden. Some of the works incorporate worn firewood sacks that have been deconstructed and attached to the silk textiles with embroidery stitches. A series of wool embroideries on the firewood sacks is executed based on a set of rules where the artist, in collaboration with her assistant, explores variations of patterns. Another work is created using a patchwork technique known as Korean quilting, which leaves the textile identical on both sides.
The interplay between everyday life and artistic exploration is central in Mørck's artistic practice. She alternates between indoor and outdoor work, adapting to the seasons. Transfer of knowledge across generations is also part of her process. The works originate from textiles, viewed as something intimate, domestic, even trivial, yet also universal. The Large Loom might refer to the historical roots of the textile craft worldwide, and how it has provided protection, shelter, and opportunities for survival. Knowledge of textiles is a common denominator shared across all cultures, at all times, and can create a unique communal meeting point. The title of the exhibition also serves as a metaphor for how all aspects of farm life intertwine. Through intricate textile work, floral patterns, and colours extracted directly from nature, Mørck seeks to honour procedural knowledge and crafts traditionally considered female, often excluded from dominant art historical narratives.
Monika Mørck (b. 1984) resides and works in Trondheim. She holds an MFA in medium and material-based art from the National Academy of the Arts in Oslo, along with additional education in textile design from the Accademia Italiana in Florence, Italy. Mørck has exhibited at Soft Galleri in Oslo (2016), Bærum Kulturhus (2017), and Goblin in Nordre Follo (2022), among other places. She has also held several duo exhibitions with Maia Birkeland at Osterøy museum (2019), Hordaland Kunstsenter in Bergen (2021), Galleri Format in Oslo (2021), and Trøndelag senter for samtidskunst (2023). Mørck has participated in several group exhibitions, including Trøndelagsutstillingen in 2020 and 2022, and Årsutstillingen in 2021 at Sørlandets Kunstmuseum. She has also published the work A mother's diary from Havrå (2019), and carried out the social art projects Sprettekafé (2019) and Loose Ends (2021).
The exhibition is funded by Regionale prosjektmidler (Kunstsentrene i Norge), Billedkunstnernes Vederlagsfond, and Kulturrådet.