AT KATIA’S HOME

The concept was called ‘At Katia’s Home’, where curator Katia Hassve curated Aurora Stange’s works in the intimate setting of her own home. This was also the artist’s first solo exhibition, presenting a selection of her most recent works from 2021.

Aurora Stange (25) has nurtured a passion for art since childhood. After much back and forth, she began at Ekely Art School at the age of 20. Her dream of becoming a painter led her to Granum School of Fine Art, where she studied for two years, before moving on to Oslo National Academy of the Arts, where she is now in her third year as an Arts and Crafts student.

“I am on a quest for beauty.
I worship form, colors, and structure.
I work with both two and three dimensions, across different materials.
I believe in the power of thoughts. The expression of thoughts. The words of thoughts.”

Stange draws inspiration from a wide range of artists. Jonny Niesche for his approach to materials and color; Henri Matisse for his palette and reflections on art — such as his 1912 statement, “A picture should, for me, always be decorative.” She also finds resonance in Claes Oldenburg’s humor and playfulness, as well as the Norwegian abstract painter Sindre Braathen, whose freedom in form and composition has been an influence. Stange is further inspired by feminist themes, the female body, and artists like Judy Chicago who explore these subjects.

“Aurora Stange has a creative drive I have rarely encountered. She not only works hard, but also carries strong ambitions and dreams. There is a curiosity and a kind of disarming naivety in her process that I find deeply compelling. Her works are colorful, playful, decorative, and bold. She moves between painting and sculpture, experimenting with materials and form. I sense that Aurora is still at the beginning of her career, yet her passion is already contagious. We have shared long conversations about what art means, and I feel her depth is something worth sharing with many more.”

— Katia Maria Hassve, Curator