RINA EIDE LØVAASEN
Rina Eide Løvaasen presents a multi-layered and visually joyful storytelling in her ongoing project titled A Story Is True Only When It Is Complete, which she describes as a Gesamtkunstwerk. Parts of this expansive work will be showcased in the exhibition.
Her installation at Spriten Kunsthall includes diverse elements such as textile paintings and sculptures crafted from stones harvested from the region, notably the Fensfelt. The textile work features digital jacquard weave embellished with silk thread, pearls and paillettes. Each layer of the triptych holds symbolic significance. The weave’s composition forms a fictive nebula, mapping out resembling the Spomeniks of former Yugoslavia – monumental concrete structures commemorating events from World War II from a country that does not exist anymore, here portrayed as burned-out stars in the sky.
The work incorporates two distinct sources: an extinct bird, a tiny jellyfish, and a pokémon. The Hawaiian bird, Kauaʻi ʻōʻō or ʻōʻōʻāʻā (Moho braccatus), represents a lost species due to ecosystem disruption by introduced predators. The Turritopsis nutricula jellyfish, known for its unique ability to reverse aging – an intriguing subject for scientists exploring longevity. Accompanied by egg-shaped sculptures crafted from local stones – Søvitt (containing niobium), Rauhaugitt (containing rare earth elements), and Rødstein (containing thorium) – Løvaasen’s work weaves together potential narratives of tomorrow’s and future mining at the Fensfelt. It considers an ecosystem contaminated by radioactive waste from yesterday’s mine, forming a captivating mythology of its own.
Rina Eide Løvaasen (1988, Porsgrunn, Norway) lives and works in Malmö, Sweden. Exhibitions include Kunsthall Grenland 2022 and group exhibitions at Skissernas museum, Lund and Havremagasinet. Her work is included in the collection of the Public Art Agency Sweden. Awards include the Ellen Trotzig fund from Malmö Art Museum and Malmö Stad in 2016 and Gunnar and Lilly Persson’s art scholarship, Ystad Art Museum, 2021.
More info > www.rinaeidelovaasen.com
