Art can be interpreted in many ways. Each art discipline has its own ways of being read, and each way of reading offers new meanings.
This exhibition is an opportunity to discover some of the ways crafts can be understood. With almost 100 works by a score of artists, contemporary crafts are presented with breadth and depth under a variety of headings. From large, immersive installations to small, intricate pieces of art – the exhibition offers both surprises and hidden stories.
In ART·HAND·WORK contemporary crafts are grouped under the titles of Materiality, Craft Traditions, Everyday Life, Decoration, Recycling, And Post-Industrialism. Here you will encounter a range of voices and perspectives, through audio stories, texts, activity spaces, and videos that show work processes.
In 2025, the artist organisation Norske Kunsthåndverkere (the Norwegian Association of Craft Artists) celebrates its fiftieth anniversary. To mark the occasion, Kode in Bergen, the National Museum in Oslo, and Nordenfjeldske Kunstindustrimuseum (the National Museum of Decorative Arts and Design in Trondheim) have joined forces to create an exhibition that presents crafts as an independent and important art form. The exhibition is mainly showcasing the collections of the three museums, with an emphasis on works from the past twenty-five years.
