How Norway painted the world white – A ceramic exploration
Norway revolutionised the colour white with the development of titanium dioxide in the 1920s, a pigment that made white brighter, and can today be found in almost everything white that surrounds us. Through ceramics, Marte Johnslien explores the darker sides of ideas surrounding whiteness, purity, and progress. Watch the video interview below.
Marte Johnslien and Julia K. Persson welcomed us to Galleri Riis, where the exhibition Fotofobia is currently on view until 23 May. The exhibition is part of the artistic research project TiO₂: The Materiality of White, led by Marte Johnslien, with Julia K. Persson as research assistant. The project is part of the Program for Artistic Research (PKU), started in 2022 and now in its final phase.
Marte Johnslien works as an Associate Professor in Ceramic Art at Kunsthøgskolen i Oslo, Department of Art and Craft.
The project is a collaboration with the sister project TiO₂: How Norway Made the World Whiter at the University of Bergen.
Several master’s students have been involved in the project: Linda Flø, Anja Hallek, Marius Engan Johansen, Silje Kjørholt, Iliana M. Papadimitriou, Quin Scholten, Helene Skuterud, Sara Bauer Gjestland Zamecznik.