Jim Boyd/ Canada
A Canadian artist, Jim has produced both gallery and large scale works in granite, marble, sandstone and other media. He especially enjoys the skills and techniques required when creating on a monumental scale in granite. Jim has participated in numerous international sculpture symposiums. He has won awards and public commissions for his work and has shown in many art exhibitions. Jim graduated from The Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in 1986.
“I love the challenge of creating a sculpture from a large piece of granite. Every stone has its own individual characteristics and nuances that are revealed by the process of carving. My work is an attempt to find a harmony of form and texture often inspired by organic and fluid forms found in our natural world.” (Boyd, 2024)
"Troll Pots"
There was so many wonderful pieces of stone in the various quarries that we visited during our first week here. In the end I selected a mammoth size rock that I found high up on the hill above the Stalaker Quarry. I liked the overall natural form and shape of the stone and I wanted to carve fluid shapes into it that evoked the feeling of flowing water. As I work on my sculptures I often get inspired by the stone and get new ideas. After I had carved and polished the hollowed out areas into the stone Christine told me how the shapes were similar to Troll Pots. (Indentations in the stone formed by glaciers and rushing water.) The wonderful coastline of the Larvik area has also inspired my sculpture. It has a very whimsical feeling and I feel that Troll Pots is a fitting title for the piece. I like the connection to the folklore of Norway.
Yoshiho Futo/ Japan
Yoshiho Futo, born in 1998, resides in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. She studied
sculpture for six years at Kyoto Seika University, primarily focusing on creating sculptures using marble. Embracing the concept of affection and warmth, Futo seeks to capture the beauty of stone
through textures and curved lines.
In 2022, she was awarded the Yamaguchi Prefectural Museum Award at the Ube Biennale in Japan. Her works have been exhibited at various events, including the
29th Ube Biennale in Yamaguchi (2022) and "Presence that Intervenes" in Kyoto (2021). (Futo, 2024)
"Kjærlighet"
The title of the work, "Kjærlighet," means "to love" in Norwegian. I fell in love with this stone at first sight. I found the gentle atmosphere of this stone, its rounded and pointed parts, and the plants that live inside it all very attractive. "Kjærlighet" is an image of holding something important in the palm of your hand, trying not to spill it. I think there are many things that are important, such as loved ones, your beliefs, beautiful daily memories, and emotions that you don't want to forget. This work expresses the hope that the things that each of us cherishes will stay with us forever. I feel that there is meaning in expressing this with stone, a strong and beautiful material that does not easily break.
Ryszard Litwiniuk/ Poland
Ryszard Litwiniuk, born 1966, graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk. Between 1998 and 2013 he lived and worked in Canada. Currently he works in Warsaw and Zutawy. He deals with sculpture, drawing, graphics and installation and nature art. The search for his own form of expression goes towards metaphysics and the energy hidden inside the material in which he works. Litwiniuk is interested in creating his own language of sculpture in the context of the system of work and his own method of treating the material. His area of interest includes the solid in its entire volume, its structure and architecture, as well as internal molecular connections of matter. By opening the interior of a tree or stone, he obtains a spatial form of sculptures. By creating, he rejects unnecessary tools, eliminates unnecessary details, narration and decorations, the excess of which often disturbs. He subordinates his aspirations not to the final form, but to the very process of creation and to the material he has at his disposal at a given moment. (Litwiniuk, 2024)
„The Bridge”
In the history we destroyed so many bridges, so many links and connections between families, friends, neighbors, cultures and the countries. We have crossed so many fields, rivers and seas…
Now I believe that we might be able to rebuilt, recreate, or create a new ones with peace and confidence in the name of Freedom and equal rules for all nations cultures, countries beyond the Boundaries.
Building bridge is a long process in the sens of connection and communication. Not always successful. From the other side it is a shortcut to understand a friendship – just like shaking hands can connect two people. The bridge is able to seal two banks of the river, opposite sides of the mountain, different nations, religions, cultures, ideologies, systems, etc..
My bridge symbolically is unfinished in the sens of physical work, visual form, also because of difficulties of connecting two different and opposite sides. As I said – long and never ending process in any aspect of it.
Utopia - The Journey for the Golden Fur. Unknown.
Idea. Risk. Courage. Bravery.
Precision - Mathematics, Geometry, Imagination.
Material - Stability. Function. Form & Proportions.
Beauty within the Simplicity...Harmony...
Valerie Funk/ Germany
Valerie Funk’s works ask how human bodies respond to the social crises of our time. Through her own bodily experiences, she develops unusual and irritating forms that allude to personal situations, simultaneously evoking the contorted conditions of society as a whole. These forms aim to provide the public an opportunity to enter into an aesthetic exchange with their own physical sensations.
The varied materials Funk uses are central to her work. Individual materials and their specific properties posses their own intrinsic characteristics. She manipulates into form a balance between a material’s guidance of her hand, but also control over a material’s resistance to change. In so doing her working process is evidenced through tool markings; their remaining raw and irritated surfaces descriptive of the same intense physical labor required to bring the forms into being. (Funk, 2024)
"Down and up"
In my work down and up the focus is on the process. I came to Norway without an idea, without a specific vision. I let myself be carried by the country and its culture, absorbing everything around me and the stone. I wanted to follow its character and trace its existing lines, to open it up for viewers, to turn its inside out.
The hard physical work I performed on it – the violent cutting with the angle grinder, the monotonous blows with hammer and chisel, the fine smoothing structures – all this remains visible in the stone.
I developed a shape that speaks of the physicality of the process, the vulnerability of a material, the vulnerability of a relationship, about working together, working against each other, about being together.
Rob Good/ United Kingdom
Rob Good, holds a first class BA (hons) degree in Sculpture from the University of Leeds, and a MA in Fine Art from Chelsea College of Arts. Rob Good regards sculpture as a vehicle with the potential to carry us away from ourselves. Focusing on elements of the natural landscape, such as rivers, trees or clouds, he often employs traditional materials to create objects which spur the imagination and tell stories. The sculptures aim to be poetic, with intrinsic rhythm and balance. (nationalsculptureprizeblog, 2018)
“My Cracked and Broken Heart”
It could be seen as a memorial to past relationships, lost loved ones and the distance between us. But it is also strong and hopeful; inviting us on new journeys and adventures. Hearts, like clouds, break and part, but always reassemble and fly again.
Nilhan Sesalan/ Turkey
In the artworks of Nilhan Sesalan, we witness a constant effort to perceive everything as ‘it is’, along with interpretations of references from archaeology, architecture, literature and nature at the level of a daily life that gradually becomes more indirect. A deep historical-cultural accumulation underlies the past of her works, associations and stress underlie their present, and an eternal inference and tranquillity mark their future.
In her hands, the themes which range from the human life to the mysteries and chaos of nature transform into the tranquillity of endless associations of an artwork that owns its own freedom; like a dervish who whispers rich, deep, confident and grand thoughts. Observing Sesalan’s artworks which are displayed in various collections, parks and museums, it can be said that she is one of the representatives of lyrical abstraction. (Sesalan, 2024)
‘Codes from the Underground’
During the days of search for the ever-deepening layers of
Larvik’s magmatic quarries… a stone with a blue, mother-of-pearl, copper sheen, and a quite dark brown color, met me in my dreams. The rectangular prism stone, separated from the massive
underground through successive holes, seemed to carry a secret. Dream and substance developed synchronously.
The algorithmic structure of the 21st century, woven with
codes, turned into hundreds of circular orange codes with a reference
to punched cards on the vertical columns of the traditional and natural Larvik stone. It could also be perceived as an effort to create a language for communication between our planet and
humanity.
Humans are constructive, they like to open new paths, that is an undeniable fact. But why do they also like to destroy, to turn everything into
chaos?*
‘Notes from the Underground’ Fyodor Dostoevsky 1864
Simon Te Wheoro/ New Zealand
Simon Te Wheoro is a contemporary Māori visual arts and design artist from Aotearoa, New Zealand.
Known for his versatility in working with stone, wood, paint, and Tā Moko (Māori tattoo), Simon creates artwork that reflects his Māori heritage, focusing on
themes that encapsulate the essence of his culture's rich storytelling traditions, the harmony between art and nature, along with a commitment to environmental stewardship. He aims to honour the
natural flow and form of materials, enhancing their inherent beauty by integrating Māori motifs with modern design elements.
Simon's artistic journey has included national solo and group exhibitions, numerous commissions for private collectors, community projects with public
installations, and collaborations that engage a global audience. By honouring his tupuna (ancestors), Simon seeks to inspire others, foster cross-cultural connections, and promote the rich
tapestry of Māori culture. He is dedicated to preserving and sharing his mātauranga (knowledge) of Māori heritage and artistic traditions for future generations. (Te Wheoro, 2024)
Ko wai au!/ Water spirit
The Koropepe is a traditional Māori motif often found in
Aotearoa New Zealand. It typically represents a mythical creature resembling a water spirit. For the Māori people the Koropepe is believed to have protective qualities bringing good fortune to
those who possess it. It reflects the deep connection between the Māori people, their
environment and their spiritual beliefs
Maša Paunović/ Serbia
"Since my academic years, my work has been based on continues research and exploration of the inner feelings and thoughts as well as sculptural forms, materials and space. My sculptures have always been a product of one specific theme. The topics I use
are usually personal observations or site-specific topics, and the product of the invested energy and time (mental and physical intervention) ends up in a serial of sculptures or monumental
sculpture of large dimensions. My focus was always on the creative process of the pieces, putting all my energy inside them, making them alive and independent, even though they were part of
bigger picture."
(Paunović, 2024)
“ Still alive”
My idea developed slowly. It started from the looking at different stones in the quarries. Finding just the right stone was the most important part of this process. “The old lady” was waiting for me, with many hesitations, considering that it was lying in the quarry for many years. It looked peaceful and calm on her old place, but very powerful and strong so my intention was to bring her back to life. “Still alive” came from the “still life” that usually describes the dead nature, but in this case I wanted to put an accent on “still” and “alive”. My idea was to scratch the surface of this old beautiful stone with all its history and patina, and to discover what is hiding beneath. My intention was not to make a new sculpture from this stone, but to use the shape of stone, which already existed and model some parts of it. Therefore, the organic round shapes represent the blood stream, which symbolically represents life itself, being alive.