Kari Steihaug

First English monograph on the Norwegian textile artist Kari Steihaug.

Kari Steihaug (*1962, Oslo) is a Norwegian artist with a studio on Hovedøya in the Oslo Fjord.

In her art, what is overseen plays a major role. The things that have been set aside, unfinished projects, objects that are worn or frayed are all solicitously brought into the light. This is also evident in the materials used by the textile artist: Steihaug’s works feature worn out woollen garments as well as faded curtains, discarded woollen blankets, unfinished knitwear, or fragments of glass found on the beach. She picks them up, or fetches them out of oblivion, stores them in archives and arranges them in new contexts.

By embracing imperfection, the works become a counterbalance to the galloping consumer culture of our time and allow us to see with fresh eyes what surrounds us in everyday life.

In this book 25 years of her work is collected. Poetry and prose contributions provide introductions to Steihaug’s oeuvre and draw up the lines of a varied and rich practice.