Exhibition

Avgang 2026: Joanna Blanckaert / Percussive ‘ives’

First with one blade of grass, then with two, she wraps them, starting at the tip of her thumb, pinching between her index finger and the outer edge of her palm near the wrist. Her other hand mirrors the motion; she leaves a small gap in the middle to allow a current of air to flow through. I watch her hands. I give it a try and relax my jaw, pressing my lips together. I notice how cold my hands are; she draws a slow breath and exhales warmth from her mouth through the narrow slit; the blades vibrate, creating a piercing sound that longs for a material language. It resembles the vibrations of the vocal folds in our own sound box. Yet not a word sounds from that breath.

Her hands become a metronome, working the material. I withdraw from the community of speech.

Joanna Blanckaert (b. 2001) is an artist from Belgium. She expands her practice through the process of deconstruction, repetition, and measurement. The inner dialogue that occurs alongside and during painting becomes a starting point. In that space, the materials are in relation to her own physical body. She holds a Bachelor degree in Fine Arts in Painting from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp and is currently completing a MFA at Oslo National Academy of the Arts, graduating in summer 2026.

Joanna Blanckaert
Percussive ‘ives’
Skylight, KHiO
Opening Friday February 6th, 18:00 - 21:00
Open 7-15 February, Mon - Wed, Sat + Sun, 14:00 - 18:00

https://artacademycalendar.khio.no/mfa-graduation-projects/joanna-blanckaert-percussive-ives