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Magne will be exhibiting at the Blaafarveværket museum in Norway next summer – more specifically in the wooden barn at Nyfossum.
Sverre Følstad at Blaafarveværket says this will be the first time Magne revisits previous art projects to present a retrospective exhibition. It will apparently include “monumental woodcuts”.
The exhibition is open from 19 May to 23 September 2012. A PDF folder can be downloaded here.
Posted in Art projects, Magne 
Tags: blaafarveværket, magne furuholmen 
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Some of the monotypes on display at Stolper + Friends
(Picture from VG)
Magne’s new solo exhibition Echo opened at Stolper + Friends in Oslo yesterday.
It consists of four large monotypes on hospital sheets, originally intended for Futura Plus, and a selection of twelve smaller monotypes on sheets and paper.
Although commercially successfull, Magne’s art hasn’t always been embraced by art critics. But Echo gets a glowing review by VG’s Lars Elton, who gives the exhibition a 5 out of 6 rating and describes Magne as an innovator in his field:
“This is an exhibition that takes the field of art a step further. Not only does Magne Furuholmen really make himself respected, he also moves graphic print techniques forward”, Elton writes.
“(…)Visual games with letters has been a dominating motif for Furuholmen since the 1990s. And you would think this theme had been worn out by now. But with these new works he reaches a new level, partly because the images are visually strong, but first and foremost because the letters and the words they form have been put into a meaningful context.
The works provide a level of seriousness and reflection that evoke emotions. When you add the groundbreaking formats and the innovative technique, this becomes an exhibition that moves the field of art a step forward”, Elton writes in his review.
Echo is on display at Stolper + Friends until January 15th.
Update: Before the official opening, the British Ambassador to Norway, Jane Owen, visited the exhibition. A picture of the ambassador with the three gallerists has been posted on the Stolper + Friends Facebook page.
And a 4-minute video interview with Magne from the opening can be seen at StyleTV.no.
Update II: Magne attended the launch party for a new Moods of Norway perfume in Oslo a few days later, on November 29th. See a picture from Dagbladet here.
Posted in Art projects, Magne Tags: echo, futura plus, magne furuholmen, moods of norway, stolper + friends Comments Off on Echo opens in Oslo, to great reviews
Magne and fellow artists Kjell Nupen, Ørnulf Opdahl and Queen Sonja of Norway gave a large number of journalists a preview of the group exhibition Under stor press at Dunkers Kulturhus in Helsingborg, Sweden yesterday (see October 27th news update for more info about the exhibition).
Magne in conversation with Queen Sonja
Queen Sonja is exhibiting her art in public for the first time, and was really the center of attention.
“I think she’s got courage who has chosen to expose herself to the type of questions that are bound to come, when she sticks her neck out like this. I can definitely relate to that, being famous for one thing and then venturing into a completely different field”, Magne told Aftenposten’s web-TV.
He could be seen standing in front of 10 large prints from Futura Plus, covering an entire wall.
Today there’s a vernissage for invited guests, which will also be attended by King Harald and Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and Queen Silvia of Sweden, before the exhibition opens to the public tomorrow.
Under stor press will be open until August 5th next year.
Update: A few more interviews with Magne in Helsingborg have now appeared online. TV2 has a video report which can be seen here.
There is also an interview at Dagbladet.no.
Magne has become used to printing on hospital sheets, but with Futura Plus things turned a bit more graphic (as could be seen in the “Nasjonalgalleriet” documentary):
“This time I mistakenly received a bag full of unwashed hospital sheets, straight from the emergency room, that were badly stained, creased and smelt horrible. That felt like a starting point for a series of prints based on hospital situations”, Magne tells TV2.
“The prints are 200×80 centimeters. That’s the original size of these hospital sheets made by manufacturer Futura Plus – which inspired the name of my exhibition”, he told Dagbladet.
Posted in Art projects, Magne Tags: futura plus, helsingborg, kjell nupen, magne furuholmen, queen sonja, ørnulf opdahl Comments Off on Magne meets the press in Helsingborg
The new documentary Dance For Daddy – a portrait of Magne Furuholmen aired in a special edition of NRK2’s culture programme Nasjonalgalleriet tonight.
The documentary, which was made by Charlotte Thiis-Evensen, follows Magne’s work on the Futura Plus exhibition earlier this year and tells the story of how his father’s tragic death in a plane crash has influenced a lot of his art.
It can be seen on NRK’s web-TV here, where it will be available for one month.
Futura Plus ended up being cancelled, but Magne is opening a new exhibition at Stolper + Friends in Oslo on November 26th called ECHO. The gallery said in a Twitter message to expect “stunning new works on canvas and paper”.
ECHO will be on display until January 15th 2012.
Posted in Art projects, Magne Tags: echo, futura plus, magne furuholmen, nasjonalgalleriet, stolper + friends Comments Off on Dance For Daddy documentaryThe weekly culture programme Nasjonalgalleriet on NRK2 in Norway will broadcast what appears to be a new half-hour documentary about Magne’s work as a visual artist on November 7th.
Here is the description from NRK’s website:
“Documentary about Magne Furuholmen. An old and dented trumpet that has been through a dramatic airplane crash, used and blood-stained hospital sheets, and a story of sceptisism and resistance. Get to know the artist Magne Furuholmen in tonight’s Nasjonalgalleriet.”
The trumpet refers to his father Kåre’s instrument, which was recovered after the airplane crash in 1969 where Magne’s father and four other members of his band died. In the early years of his art career, between 1989 and 1994, Magne carried the trumpet case with him everywhere, and used his father’s handwritten sheets of music inside the case as the main inspiration for his breakthrough exhibition Kutt in 1995.
The hospital sheets mentioned in the description is something Magne has used as canvases for several years, seen in exhibitions like Monologues, Camera and now Futura Plus.
This new documentary in Nasjonalgalleriet is not to be confused with John Sullivan’s half-hour NRK documentary Billedkunstneren Magne Furuholmen from 2004, which followed Magne’s process of working with glass paintings and ceramic jars between 2001 and 2003.
Nasjonalgalleriet is repeated November 9th on NRK1 and November 12th on NRK2.
Posted in Art projects, Magne Tags: kåre furuholmen, magne furuholmen, nasjonalgalleriet, nrk2 Comments Off on New TV documentary about Magne
"Futura Plus" monotype
Magne is one of the artists taking part in a group exhibition entitled “Under stor press” (“Under great pressure”), which opens at Dunkers Kulturhus in Helsingborg, Sweden on November 11th.
“Under stor press” presents around 800 graphic prints by 80 artists, all of whom have worked together with Atelje Larsen – Helsingborg’s own world-renowned print studio. Magne has used Atelje Larsen to create his graphic prints for many years.
The exhibition includes works from Magne’s recent “Futura Plus” project, which will be shown in public for the first time, as well as prints made by the members of Apparatjik.
When creating “Futura Plus”, Magne has said that he “painted on blood-stained sheets collected from hospital autopsy-rooms and similar”.
Magne will be in Helsingborg on November 9th together with fellow artists Kjell Nupen, Ørnulf Opdahl and Queen Sonja of Norway to give members of the press a special preview of the exhibition. There will also be a private vernissage on November 10th.
“Under stor press” will be on display until August 5th 2012.
Posted in Art projects, Magne Tags: atelje larsen, futura plus, helsingborg, kjell nupen, magne furuholmen, queen sonja, ørnulf opdahl Comments Off on Magne takes part in Helsingborg exhibition
Magne in front of Shed 13, with Kate Smith (Daily Manager of Stolper + Friends) and Arnt Gøran Hartvig. (Picture from VG)
Stolper + Friends will unveil a new project in Oslo today. As an extension of the current “The Souls” exhibition, a large warehouse at Tjuvholmen called Shed 13 will be covered on two of its sides by six huge butterflies made by Damien Hirst.
“Everyone have been talking about Norway this summer, so this art project with the enormous butterflies can be seen as a nice gesture from Damien Hirst to Norway. (…) I think he felt that having his butterflies on display in super-format, out in the public for everyone to see, was an exciting and different project”, Magne tells VG.
The six butterflies, which measure a total of 1200 square meters, will stay on the walls for one month.
“Shed 13 is the perfect space to make temporary statements of different kinds on a grand scale. We hope this Hirst project is the first of many, from exciting artists from around the world and the other galleries in the area”, Magne said in a press release posted on Stolper + Friends’ Facebook page.
There is also a 2-page interview with Magne in the current issue of art magazine KUNST.
Asked if he now sees himself as a gallerist, he says:
“No. I’m involved as an owner, and I will of course make use of my network of contacts. But I’ll leave the daily operations to Hugo and the gallery workers. I’ll primarily focus on my own art projects, but I do live close by and will step in if there’s a need for it.”
Magne also says that he’s planning a new solo exhibition in December. But he’s not sure what the theme will be yet.
Update: After the lights had been switched on at Shed 13, Magne appeared on NRK’s evening news. The video clip can be seen here.
He was also interviewed by Dagbladet.
Posted in Art projects, Magne Tags: damien hirst, magne furuholmen, shed 13, stolper + friends Comments Off on Stolper + Friends launch “Shed 13” project
Paul Stolper, Magne and Hugo Opdal in front of Damien Hirst's butterfly paintings
(Picture from Dagsavisen)
The new gallery Stolper + Friends, which is owned by Paul Stolper, Magne Furuholmen and Hugo Opdal, opens at Tjuvholmen in Oslo tonight with the exhibition “The Souls” by Damien Hirst.
“The reason why I wanted to establish the gallery here, is that Tjuvholmen is a new district still in the making and in constant development. And with the Astrup Fearnley museum opening [next year] and the other galleries already here, I think we’ll get a nice dynamic which will attract many art fans to the area”, Magne told Aftenposten in an interview last week.
Magne’s own exhibition “Futura Plus”, which was supposed to open the gallery but was cancelled after the July 22nd tragedy, will instead be shown in Sweden sometime in November, he tells newspaper Dagsavisen today.
In an article at TheArtNewspaper.com yesterday, Magne said “Futura Plus” features “words including ‘death’ and ‘accident’, painted on blood-stained sheets collected from hospital autopsy-rooms and similar.”
At Stolper + Friends, “The Souls” is on display until October 2nd and will be followed by an exhibition of sculptures.
More pictures from inside the gallery can be seen here.
Posted in Art projects, Magne Tags: damien hirst, futura plus, hugo opdal, magne furuholmen, paul stolper, stolper + friends Comments Off on Stolper + Friends opens in Oslo
Picture from VG
Magne explains the cancellation of his “Futura Plus” exhibition in today’s VG.
Here are some quotes from the interview:
“I sat there completely numb and glued to the TV screen for a week, inhaling the news about the unbelieveable tragedy at Utøya island and the government quarter. As I gradually started to think ahead, it became clear that it wouldn’t be appropriate to hold my opening exhibition.”
“Drawing from experiences which include my own hospitalizations, I have during this last year been creating works for an exhibition thematically linked to human frailty in general, and hospital settings specifically, with everything that entails of drama, suffering and helplessness. I don’t want to make an exhibition which could be potentially upsetting in this situation.”
For “Futura Plus”, Magne had once again been collecting used bed sheets from various hospitals, to use as canvases.
“I’m not sure if this exhibition will ever be shown. We’ll see.”
“It is ironic that I’m opening my own gallery by cancelling my own exhibition. But that’s the right thing to do now. The paintings have been important for me to create, but it’s not important to show them now.”
Magne has created the new gallery Stolper + Friends together with his UK gallerist Paul Stolper and the Norwegian gallerist Hugo Opdal, who lives at Flø.
“I haven’t really harboured any ambitions to start my own gallery, but I have already been working with Stolper and Opdal for years, and when my previous gallery Trafo closed down last year the idea evolved naturally.”
The gallery’s opening exhibition will now be “The Souls” by Damien Hirst instead.
“The original plan was to show new works by Damien Hirst closer to Christmas, but now we had to do a quick turnaround, and it’s very fitting to show the beautiful butterfly-series “The Souls”, made in collaboration with Paul Stolper, where the butterfly symbolises, among other things, the journey and rebirth of the soul. It’s a much more appropriate association right now”, Magne says.
Posted in Art projects, Magne Tags: damien hirst, futura plus, magne furuholmen, stolper + friends Comments Off on Magne explains cancellationMagne has issued the following press release today:
“In light of the recent tragic events in Norway, Magne Furuholmen has decided to cancel his upcoming exhibition ‘Futura Plus’ due to the potentially upsetting nature of the works.
The new gallery ‘Stolper + friends’ will launch as planned on the 1st of September, but the first exhibition will be ‘The Souls’ by Damien Hirst.
More info to follow.”
The gallery’s new website states that Magne will be exhibiting later this year instead. Apparatjik are also planning something at Stolper + Friends later on.
Posted in Art projects, Magne Tags: damien hirst, futura plus, magne furuholmen, stolper + friends Comments Off on Exhibition cancelled
