å.
åse vikse
åse is a multidisciplinary printmaker who refers to herself as
a wandering artist as well as a coast person.
she is a west-norwegian currently based in north-london.
she is interested in our perception of place and gravitates towards the landscape, whether constructed or natural, because it provides us with stories.
these are the stories she aims to convey through her artwork,
where an important principle is sharing.
in her work she focuses on interacting with natural materials, whether found objects from, or static surfaces documented within the landscape. she aims to convey the uniqueness that nature itself formulates, where her mere role is as a translator interpreting the object’s own ‘language’ and transferring it into a print.
‘the imprint is already there, it simply needs me to lift it’
walking is a recurring feature in her creative process: she observes her surroundings using the methodology of ‘being present while being active’ and utilises techniques such as frottage print (ernst, 1925) and monotype.
a wanderer in the landscape, similar to a topographer or ethnographer, she gravitates towards the already existing element.
a deep respect for our environment is her guiding principle, which is why sustainability has become crucial in her practice and is valued at each stage of the process.
her main approach is ‘mapping’ and what she creates may reflect the notion of a place, those who inhabit it, or an ongoing search for a bridge between the two.
recently, she has been exploring memorialisation, where she aims to investigate a disconnection which may stem from leaving a place she once inhabited.
her body of work combines the palpable and the intangible in nature and in memory, the spoken and the untold stories of shared moments, treasured objects, familial knots and, inevitably, deterioration and loss.
artist's maps
about mapping
angst
technique: frottage print and monotype
created: spring 2021
size: 57 X 75 cm
the first large, multi-coloured
frottage walk map I created,
'angst' holds documentation of
hampstead garden suburb's surfaces
and the walk as an unsettled black line.
earth day walk
technique: frottage print and monotype
created: spring 2021
size: 57 X 75 cm
reflecting the day this map was made,
'earth day walk' is composed of frottage prints from found objects and surfaces encountered in hampstead garden suburb,
with the walk added as a black line.
henrietta
technique: monotype, frottage print, collagraph and hand-stitching
created: spring 2021
size: 57 X 75 cm
outlining both my movement in the landscape and a portraial of a pioneer, 'henrietta' invites the audience to actively unveil the suburb's layers of constructions.
coastal map
'this bandstand'
technique: monotype, frottage print
and hand-stitching on paper
created: spring 2021
the coastal map channels the liberating feeling when a coast person is finally reunited with the coast after months
in lockdown. Created in Folkestone,
this multi-layered map holds memories
of artwork encountered and the magic captured in a coastal sunset.
modern nature I, II, III & IIII
technique: frottage print, collagraph/
monotype on paper
created: summer 2021
size: 57 X 75 cm
The quadrilogy modern nature seeks to investigate Derek Jarman’s connection
to Hampstead Heath while considering
a retrospective view from his
Prospect Cottage by the coast, towards
and into, the woods. Monoprints include imprints of a wooden plank,
once attached to my cottage in Norway.
D, R, S & C
technique: monotype, frottage print
created: 2021
size: 57 X 75 cm
The quadrilogy explores memorialisation and how we process memories, in this case the memory of place with all its past
and present movements. Four artist’s maps created in response to walks in the landscape I once inhabited,
on the western coast of Norway.
As seen in many of my maps, I am the line that moves across the surface of and with these four walks, in particular,
the return walk was equally important.
I documented surfaces connected to each of the map’s themes by rubbing and therefore, transferring its texture to the maps. The structure of e.g. an old cairn, a cholera graveyard and the ruin of what once was a home,
all transferred into ghost prints. Carefully considered was also the reason why I can create this, and any artwork, as I was able to return.
In commemoration of those
who never returned.
monoprint
title: nu bleu (I)
technique: collagraph/imprint
on handmade paper
created: winter 2022
size: 8 x 11,5 cm
My first attempt at both making paper and,
printing on it.
The paper was made from scrap material,
a few pages of Art Fund’s quarterly magazine.
The feather is a found object from a walk near Prospect Cottage, Derek Jarman’s cottage in Kent. It is printed with Ultramarine blue, which references Jarman’s movie Blue.
It was through Art Fund I first learned about Jarman, and from there my admiration for him only grew.
title: constructions (series of prints)
technique: collagraph/imprint of found object
created: spring 2021
size: 21 x 26 cm
interpretations of the landscape as constructions of layers.
Each layer in these Monoprints represents a specific type of construction, from the natural to the human-made.
The layers are imprints of found objects collected during my walks.
My interpretation of the landscape I walk in,
observations while being present.
Being present while being active.
The landscape interpreted in constructions and movement
is Hampstead Garden Suburb in north London,
once dubbed a social and architectural experiment.
The place where all my first term MA projects evolved around.
The observations were made while walking within its streets and parks – constructions and movement, interwoven with past and present.
title: movement (series of prints)
technique: collagraph/imprint of found object
created: spring 2021
size: circa 20 X 26 cm
The title of this series of prints
invites for ambiguous interpretations.
First and foremost I see it as the movement
created by anything and anyone that is empowered to create movement, in this case, movement can mean both physical activity
and the process of social development.
However, although these represent tangible and non-tangible activities, they both represent a process
potentially leading to a change of view.
MA major project
images above: W. Gillingham-Sutton
images below: Å. Vikse
BA major project
My BA major project (Honours project)
was a series of prints inspired by the stories told by Norwegian author Edvard Hoem. Through five books we journey with his ancestors through the landscape of Romsdalen and over to the new world, the prairies of America and Canada where they seek a better life.
These stories became of great importance to me,
after I had left Norway for Scotland in 2015.
Created in spring 2020,
they will always define my memories of the UK lockdown.
woodcut
title: Dover
created: 2020
technique/material: woodcut on Japanese paper
Inspired by a trip to the beautiful Kent coast and my first encounter with the stunning white cliffs of Dover,
this woodcut was selected to be part of the Teesside Print Prize exhibition in Middlesbrough 2020/21
title: us and them
created: 2021
technique/material: woodcut on paper
size: 21 x 70 cm
This woodcut is developed from a found object, a random plank from a Golders Green street. Overlooked, thrown away and discarded as something someone did not need. Found during a walk by someone who saw a useful item and made it into something valuable.
Us and them is inspired by the steadfast standing stones on the Outer Hebrides and tackles subjects such as prejudice, alienation and how we view others who are, but may not be perceived as, the same.
title: norwegian-ish
created: 2020
technique/material: woodcut and mokulito
on japanese paper
size: 20 x 28 cm
'Not everything is as it seems, and not everything that seems is. Between being and seeming there is always a point of agreement, as if being and seeming were two inclined planes that converge and become one. There is a slope and the possibility of sliding down that slope, and when that happens, one reaches a point at which being and seeming meet.'
– José Saramago
norwegian-ish is inspired by the (namesake) tv-series,
the 14th of October aka 'the winter day' which symbol is a mitten on the Norwegian Primstav,
åttebladrose/the eight-petal-rose,
and Arabic Kufic style calligraphy.
title: Gákti
created: 2020 (part of BA)
technique/material: two-layer reduction woodcut
on japanese paper
Gákti – inspired by the beauty and colours of the Sámi people,
in particular their national costume.
This print was created to mark the Sámi National Day.
this print resonates with a poem by Rolf Jacobsen
from his book 'Brev til lyset' (Letter to the Light)
– poetry (1960)
(translated by me)
Tett bak din fot / Close behind your foot
Close behind your foot, all silence is greatest,
and a strange tenderness is laid,
different from anything.
Different from anything you can hear, you can see
– the song from your shoes, the light of your hands.
Close behind your shoulder,
closer than anything you imagine,
a peace you have not known yourself,
where the world is silent, a deep, a steep second
that after an unprecedented promise
through a closed mouth.
title: Hjarte / Heart
created: 2020 (part of BA)
technique/material: woodcut on japanese paper
The heart-shaped mittens was originally created as an element for The Norwegian Church Abroad Aberdeen’s
annual Christmas Fair.
The core of the church is community,
where the heart plays a central role.
Not only does it stand for compassion,
but also the heart-shaped waffle
which is as symbolic as soup for the Salvation Army.
project: Infographic
title: how it works
created: 2019 (part of BA)
technique/material: woodcut on japanese paper
– inspired by the Vienna Method’s Isotype charts,
this woodcut has a combination of hand-carved (illustrations)
and laser-cut (typography) elements.
threedimentional
project: hold on to
created: 2020 (part of BA)
technique/material: imprint in paper clay
project: memorialisation
title: the sixteen
created: 2021 (part of MA major project)
technique/material: ceramics
imprint in clay
pioneer women
For international women’s day 2020 I created the first portrait
of a series of pioneer women.
This will be an annual celebration of female trailblazers.
Someone always has to pave the path for others to follow,
and in this series of portrayals, I wish to highlight these
more or less famous women.
title: Lilla
created: for international women's day 2020
technique: two-layer reduction woodcut on japanese paper
size: 11,5 x 15,5 cm
Portrait of Norwegian architect Lilla Hansen,
the first woman in Norway to establish her own practice.
Amongst Lilla’s first works as an independent architect,
was the Norawegian ‘hytte’ – a wooden cottage.
This two-layer portrait is carved into an old weathered
wooden plank retrieved from my own hytte in Norway
to emphasise the connection between the two.
project: #projecthenriettabarnett
created: for international women's day 2021
technique: various
The second pioneer I chose to highlight was the founder
of Hampstead Garden Suburb in London, Henrietta Barnett(1851-1936).
After I researched this fascinating North London suburb
it became clear that the second portrait of a pioneer woman
had to be its founder, Henrietta Barnett.
So much more than a suburb’s founder, Henrietta was
a social campaigner and worked to enhance the lives
of the less privileged, mainly in Whitechapel.
When the Northern Line was extended to the Hampstead
and Golders Green area she also extended her social work.
As a result of that, Hampstead Garden Suburb has been dubbed
a social and architectural experiment.
title: henrietta barnett walk
created: 2021
technique: monotype on paper
title: henrietta
created: spring 2021
technique: monotype, frottage print,
collagraph and hand-stitching
size: 57 X 75 cm
outlining both my movement in the landscape
and a portraial of a pioneer in her field, 'henrietta' invites the audience to actively unveil the suburb's layers of constructions.
project: pioneer woman 2022, Anni Albers
created: for international women's day 2021
technique: a combination of woodcut and gelli print
The third pioneer I chose to portray was the weaver
– the artist – Anni Albers (1899-1994)
In 2018, during my BA Communication Design studies, I wrote an essay with the title 'Always artistic, never artists', with a focus on Anni Albers and her Bauhaus career.
The broader subject of the essay was the many female students at the then modern
and innovative art school in Germany, who were never acknowledged as artists
but instead placed in the craft workshops. The men, on the other hand, were welcomed
to the art studios and thus became artists. Although this subject problematises themes such as equality and art versus craft, it raises questions that I recognise from my research on Hampstead Garden Suburb's former days, where people from different backgrounds were being introduced into the same residential area. The aim may have been to merge these despite disparate situations, but what differed was the opportunities they arrive with.
It became a matter of place versus placed.
title: anni albers
created: spring 2022 (work in progress)
technique: woodcut and gelli print on German Büttenpapier
size: A4
portrait
title: Berit
created: 2020
technique: five-layer reduction woodcut
size: 19 x 19 cm
A portrait of my paternal grandmother,
Berit Olava Nielsen (married Vikse) aged 12 years old.
Based on a photograph dated 1938.
title: Johan
created: 2020
technique: four-layer reduction woodcut
size: 20 x 29 cm
A portrait of my maternal grandfather,
Johan Knutsen.
Based on a photograph, not dated.
title: Lockgown (self-portrait)
created: autumn 2020
technique: woodcut on paper
In late summer 2020 I noticed an open call
from The Artist Pool, titled 'The Resilient Self II'.
It was the theme and the description that made me decide to enter with a woodcut I created specifically for this call. It read:
It’s one thing to present your art honestly to the world,
it’s quite another to turn that gaze on yourself.
We live in the age of the 'selfie', where reality can be pushed through endless filters until every hint of vulnerability is erased. In this show, all filters are removed as each artist presents an artwork that gives
the viewer a glimpse of their authentic self.
We’ve had to spend time with ourselves during lockdown, being in one space for a long period of time, forcing us to self reflect, to uncover, discover and explore
new ways of expressing ourselves.
This exhibition is about the Self, The Resilient Self.
‘Lockgown’ depicts me on my graduation day.
The day was not as I had anticipated and therefore followed the template set by 2020 – the year where nothing went as planned. However, that doesn’t mean
it was a bad day because I had the opportunity to
invent it as I wanted to.
The same as with my Honours project.
If creating a major project in lockdown taught me anything, it was the importance of DIY,
and so I continued that mentality on my graduation day.
Depicted in this print is the graduate. But what the woodcut doesn’t reveal is that the hat is made out
of cardboard and the cape is a part of my national costume. The paper I’m holding may not be a certificate
– it could be an endless list of the cooking and baking
I did, recipes I created, or a map showing all the wanders around Aberdeen, all during lockdown.
But it is my certificate, I am proud, I am wearing the cape that my mother once made, and at the end of the day, I was the only one who could DIY.
'Lockgown' was selected to be part of the group exhibition 'The Resilient Self II', held at espacio gallery in London's Shoreditch, autumn 2020.
title: illustrated alphabet
created: 2018-
technique: linocut on paper
size: A4
A for periparus ater & prunus avium
C for cinclus cinclus & salix caprea
E for sitta europaea & olea europaea
I for ilexarenaria interpres & quercus ilex
L for calcarius lapponicus & salix lapponum
M for turdus merula & prunus mahaleb
R for regulus regulus & quercus robur
S for serinus serinus & fagus sylvatica
T for populus tremula & troglodytes troglodytes
norway
title: Gullbotn
created: 2016
technique: five-layer reduction linocut
Do you have a place you call 'heaven on earth'?
I do, and this is mine – my red cabin in Norway.
Modest and traditional, this is probably the epitome
of a Norwegian 'hytte', where the word luxury relates to calmness, not capital.
I am in this landscape,
and this landscape is within me.
title: sildafiskje / herring fishing
created: 2017
technique: three-layer reduction linocut
The scene depicted in this print lend its motif from an old photo showing herring fishing
in Norway in the 1930's.
I immediately fell for the dynamic in the image,
you can almost hear the men shouting at each other
and sense the net being dragged up while the herring desperately tries to get away.
title: Gullfjellet
created: 2018
technique: etching
A view I sometimes miss, a landscape that is
very much a part of me. This print is hanging
in my studio and when I rest my eyes on it
– I’m once again in that snowy mountainous landscape.
title: gamle Haugesund / old Haugesund
created: 2019
technique: four-layer reduction linocut
This historical coastal scene depicts Smedasundet, a strait in Haugesund,
the town close to where I grew up.
The town and especially the harbour was a lively and thriving place around the turn of the century. I read an article in the local newspaper about
the photographer Severin Malmin(1867-1947)
who was one of the first amateur photographers
in Haugesund. This particular image caught my attention – a busy day at the harbour with the boats lining up, waiting to catch 'the silver of the sea'. The herring.
title: Guttær | Brilliant
created: 2019
technique: three-layer reduction linocut
size: 30 x 30 cm
Together in a boat called Brilliant,
this group of chums were probably photographed
during the 50’s, or it could have been the 30’s,
or it could have been yesterday.
An ode to childhood friends, coastal living,
and Henning Kvitnes.
other
title: summer night
created: 2018
technique: two-layer linocut on paper
Inspired by warm Norwegian summer nights
and the fragile pappus slowly dangling in the air
– like small parachutes in the night.
title: untitled, wall-hanging piece
created: 2017
technique: screenprint on cotton fabric
Inspired by Marimekko patterns and the view towards
my favourite Aberdeen street: Belmont.
project: BA Interim Show Poster
title: untitled
created: 2020
technique/material: blind embossing and imprint on paper
showcased with the materials used in the printing process
project: BA Interim Show Poster
title: untitled
created: 2020
technique/material: monoprint
– blind embossing and imprint on paper
During the process of creating the poster above,
I developed some prints as a result of experimenting
with techniques and materials.
project: endangered species Scotland
title: the Dark Bordered Beauty
created: 2019
technique: printed fabric, a combination of screenprint
and digital print, developed into roman blinds
To draw attention to endangered species in Scotland,
I decided to focus on the Dark Bordered Beauty.
The digitally printed pattern represents the contour lines in Crathes – one of the few places this moth has been recorded. The screenprinted pattern shows the beautiful moth with its intricate marking.
A QR-code is incorporated, providing information
about the endangered species depicted.
title: sink or swim
created: 2017
technique: linocut on paper
– made as a front cover for a zine.
A composition of handwritten words
each describing the multifaceted state of being a student.
graphic design
project: logo and CD-cover design
title: trollala 'den underlige vidunderlige'
clients: Beate Helen Thunes and Stig van Eijk
created: 2015
made for children's character 'trollala',
created by Beate Helen Thunes and Stig van Eijk.
Here, I used two different types of handwritten
and playful fonts.
The logo is used on the cd-cover (below)
which I also created the illustrations for,
in addition to various merch.
trollala himself has – although still small –
grown to be quite a well-known character
in his hometown Bergen, Norway.
project: CD-cover design
title: for real
clients: Beate Helen Thunes and Stig van Eijk
created: 2016
Cover design made for Beate Helen Thunes'
single for real.
Beate wanted to time the release of her song
to coincide with the birth of her baby boy.
The outcome was this beautiful, peaceful moment captured by her partner Stig van Eijk.
The photography was combined with the title,
hand-written by me like an ornament,
and the singer's name in a bohemian style setup.
project: logo / redesign
title: Pimp your cake by Karin
client: Karin Biek
created: 2016
Karin wanted a new logo for her home-baking company while keeping some of the elements from her old logo such as the cake napkin, the colours,
the italic font, but obviously,
the logo needed a fresher look.
I combined my own handwriting with the font Helvetica Neue which made a good dynamic between the serious and the playful. The brown surrounding frame is still present but has become much darker, and the pistachio green has been changed to more contemporary light turquoise. By adding 'by Karin' it became much more personal and created that home-baked association.
project: logo / branding
title: å.
client: Åse Vikse / myself
created: 2017
For my own logo, I decided to only use the 'å'.
I have a relatively unusual name, in the UK at least,
and the å as a stand-alone element may provoke curiosity.
The negative shapes make an interesting pattern.
I used one of my favourites, Helvetica Neue,
and altered the shapes slightly.
Although I don't necessarily see myself as a 'red person' (whatever that means), the å and the name itself
give associations to red and therefore I decided on
this rather strong colour.
The shapes might also give associations to Marimekko patterns and in particular those of designer Sanna Annukka,
and can even look a bit like a stylised tree.
That, of course, suits the Scandinavian nature lover
whose name is Åse, very well.
project: Penguin Random House's Student Design Award
title: Animal Farm, by George Orwell
created: 2018
My entry for Penguin's Student Design Award 2018,
the book cover for George Orwell's Animal Farm.
I wanted to channel the ideology, initially good and organised but went into disrepair – represented by the picket fences.
The tallies suggest the feeling of prison that the animals may have felt. The author's name in italic Baskerville is chosen as a counterpart to the sense of pessimism and the background was given a pig's flesh pink colour.
project: editorial design (uni project)
title: ScanDeen
created: 2018
An article for a (fictional) interior magazine, featuring my own interior.
My husband and I had spent almost all summer refurbishing our new home in Aberdeen, and with a lot of Scandinavian influences, it resulted in the article 'ScanDeen - a Scandinavian make-over in the granite city'. My answer to a set brief during my BA in Communication Design.
I based the design on the Norwegian interior/ lifestyle magazine 'Nytt Rom' (new room)
and the article comprises five spreads in total, penned by me. It features my interest in interior design, fascination for patterns, colours and vintage furniture.
cv
artist bio
Åse Vikse is a multidisciplinary artist with a focus on printmaking,
who refers to herself as a wandering artist as well as a coast person.
Her visual expression is rooted in the coast and stems from her west-Norwegian background.
She is currently based in north London.
The predominant factors in her creative processes are walking and found objects
– the chance encounter during an observational state in movement.
She has exhibited artwork in London, Folkestone, Sheffield, Middlesbrough, Aberdeen and the Cotswolds. Her work is in private collections in Scotland, England and Norway.
She recently received her MA in Fine Art Printmaking with distinction,
having previously studied graphic/communication design in Norway and Scotland.
Vikse strives to source the material she uses and the process of developing these
as environmentally sustainable as possible.
EXHIBITIONS
2022 Group, 'Ossuary', (28/4-27/5) Fronteer Gallery, Sheffield, UK
2022 Group, 'Mind - be here, present/be here now', Kingshill House, Gloucestershire, UK
2021–22 Group, 'Uig Open 2021/22' (online), Hulabhaig, Outer Hebrides, UK
2021 Group, 'BarnStorm', MA Show, Middlesex University, London, UK
2021 Solo, 'Subplot', Folkestone, UK
2021 Group, 'Wish I Was There', touring: London Waterloo Station, Reading Station,
Liverpool Lime Station, Leeds Station, Glasgow Central Station, all UK
2021 Group, 'Almanac', MA Interim Show, Coningsby Gallery, London, UK
2020–21 Group, 'Teesside Print Prize 20', Middlesbrough, UK
2020 Group, 'The Resilient Self II', Espacio Gallery, London, UK
2020 Group, '(virtual) Degree Show', Gray’s School of Art, Aberdeen, UK
2020 Group, 'Uig Open 2020: Re-imagined',(online) Hulabhaig, Outer Hebrides, UK
2020 Group, 'Interim show', Gray’s School of Art, Aberdeen, UK
2017 Group, 'Short Course Students' Show', Gray’s School of Art, Aberdeen, UK
2016 Group, 'Short Course Students' Show', Gray’s School of Art, Aberdeen, UK
TALKS
2021 Presentation, ‘The Matter of Circulation’ student research conference, Folkestone, UK
AWARDS
2021 Winner (top 20), woodcut ‘Dover’, Network Rail’s ‘Wish I Was There’
2019 Shortlisted, animation series ‘#stealmyideas’, Creative Conscience Award
ARTISTIC EDUCATION
2021–2022 MA Fine Art (Printmaking), Middlesex University, London, UK
2017–2020 BA (Hons) Communication Design (Illustration), Gray’s School of Art, Aberdeen, UK
2004–2006 Graphic Design, Kristiania University College, Bergen, NO
COURSES
2016–2017 Printmaking Intermediate w/Lyndsey Gibb, Gray’s School of Art, Aberdeen, UK
2015–2016 Printmaking Foundation w/Lyndsey Gibb, Gray’s School of Art, Aberdeen, UK
201–2016 Life Drawing Intermediate w/Rebecca Westguard, Gray’s School of Art, Aberdeen, UK
2019 Woodcut Bootcamp w/Tom Huck, Peacock Visual Arts, Aberdeen, UK
2019 Mokuhanga Printing w/Michael Waight, Peacock Visual Arts, Aberdeen, UK
2018 Risograph Workshop, Peacock Visual Arts, Aberdeen, UK
2018 Etching Workshop w/Michael Waight, Peacock Visual Arts, Aberdeen, UK
2003 Oil Painting w/Jarl-Hugo Låstad, Folkeuniversitetet, Bergen, NO
contact
I'm located in north London, feel free to contact me by email: aasevikse@yahoo.no
follow me on instagram @asevikse
design by åse vikse in collaboration with Wix