Knut Ivar Aaser

Knut Ivar Aaser has worked almost exclusively with textiles that are machine knitted, in cotton and wool. He draws inspiration and from Medieval tapestries and early 20th century fashion illustrations. Also, as a departure away from a more straightforward way of working with textiles, he has also worked with local florists to make bouquets. He delivers vegetables and various fabrics to them and then asks them to treat them as they would flowers. So the composition is arrived at somewhat collaboratively. They also change dramatically in the course of a showing, and require a long period to arrive at “completion.” The idea is that the vegetables either blacken, and liquify, or dry and shrink (depending on local weather), which can be removed—what remains is a carcass or shell of the non-organic parts.  

Aaser’s work has been exhibited at VI, VII in Oslo, Tiblisi’s Center of Contemporary Art, Tidens Krav in Oslo, Spreez in Munich, Landings Project Space in Vestfossen, Kunsthall Stavanger in Norway, and Anat Ebgi Gallery in Los Angeles.

Courtesy of VI, VII