Anette Krogstad's earliest memory of creating something is the gnomes she made at home on the kitchen table. For the exhibition Norway Designs NÅ Vol. 5 IDENTITY, she has created a ceramic universe of bowls, bowls and platters where she has used a small selection of glazes and settings to see how many different expressions you can create and at the same time retain a sense of cohesion.
What kind of work do you create?
I mainly make ceramic objects of use, usually related to serving food.
What is your earliest memory related to art, or to creating something?
Dorull the gnomes made on the kitchen table at home, with woolen thread and a glue gun.
What did you want to be as a child?
Flight attendant or work in a sweet shop.
Did you grow up in a creative environment?
I would say that I grew up with a very handy father and mother with an interest in crafts - but I don't come from an artist's home by any means. Not that creativity and art necessarily have to go together... It was probably not entirely popular that I dreamed of artistry from a young age. I guess I only found my creative environment in high school when I chose drawing/shape and color.
When in life did you first learn about your field of work? What brought you there?
I got a taste of ceramics when I went to art school in Bergen in 2003, but it was only at Product Design at Oslo and Akershus College (2008) that I really discovered that world. I went through several different materials, periods and small identity crises before I found ceramics - both painting, drawing and tattooing.
What is the best advice you have received?
I have received a lot of good - and a lot of bad - advice. I can't tell which of them are the best now. In most cases, it becomes clear several years after the advice was given whether it was good or bad. So some I'm still waiting to find out.
What does success mean to you?
It was a tough question. Success for my part, I think, will be not longing or dreaming of more than what one has. I am working on the case.
What is your relationship with your material?
Most of the time I love it - some days I dislike it, but never hate it.
Tell us a little about your workplace!
My workplace is a good mix of chaos and system. At times it consists of far too much unburnt, sometimes far too much on hold. Sometimes the shelves are almost empty, then a storm is brewing - then I like to wait for a 300-400 kilo clay delivery for the next projects. It has a desk where I do administrative work and collection shelves for models etc. It has an area where I keep all my glazes and raw materials. It also has a second room where I sit and do all the turning, here everything from clay, packaging and orders that are waiting to be picked up or sent out are also stored. We also have a common dining room - which is rarely used, because here is also the ceramic oven, which is mostly warm...
Which object is your favorite among all that you have made?
Favorites come and go. Sometimes when I do new glaze tests, a bowl or a plate appears where the glaze has settled perfectly. When I then try to recreate them, they never turn out quite as well - so all these little surprises are probably my favourites. Someone once gave me a piece of advice to keep all these favorites - I'm not quite sure if that's good or bad advice - so for now they tend to disappear in a sale. Isn't it better that someone else gets to enjoy them, rather than me packing them away in a box?
What is the most challenging thing about being your own boss?
I think it was more of a challenge before, now I'm starting to get used to things and my own personal integrity is growing every day - the most challenging thing about it is that you have to continuously work on that integrity.
Do you have any tricks or techniques that never fail if you need inspiration or to break out of routines?
I have quite a hectic routine at the moment, so it doesn't take much more than having a coffee outside the workshop or a trip to the forest and the inspiration starts.
What is your relationship with Norway Designs?
For me, since I moved to Oslo in 2008, Norway Designs has been a shop with quality goods from well-known and quality-proven designers. In recent years, I have really understood and experienced for myself how long the place has had and continue to work to promote Norwegian and Scandinavian designers and artisans. By arranging launches, talks and not least the Volum exhibitions, Norway Designs is also something much more than just a shop, they work for and with us and are an incredibly good exposure channel.
What expectations do you have for Norway Designs NÅ Vol. 5?
I am looking forward to exhibiting with designers and craftsmen I have not exhibited with before. See a combination of us put together. I of course expect and hope that the objects and products on display will be sold and that they arouse curiosity and interest among visitors to the store.
Tell us a little about the items you are exhibiting in this year's exhibition.
It is a collection of different bowls, bowls and dishes where I have chosen to make use of a small selection of glazes and settings to see how many different expressions I can create - but which at the same time retain a cohesiveness to each other.
Which identity do material and technique help to express?
The identity in the objects expresses that even though things are apparently different, they are nevertheless connected or they are more similar than the naked eye immediately sees.
Is there one or more identities that are reflected through your work?
There are several familial identities, if I may say so.
You can buy Anette Krogstad's ceramics in the online store and read more about the process behind the ceramics here.
