VKL Collection

Ever since Vestfossen Kunstlaboratorium (VKL) was established, one of the ambitions for the institution has been to build its own art collection. 2024 marked the first time parts of the collection were shown as a separate exhibition. This year we have rotated some of the works and put together a new exhibition of the permanent collection.

In the course of time, there is much art that, for various reasons, falls by the wayside and is lost. Some of this art may live on in the form of documentation, ideas, discourse, or other ephemeral traces. But perhaps the art itself deserves to be seen many more times by an audience, perhaps it even deserves a place in the history of art?

Museums play a vital role in collecting and communicating our common cultural heritage, and VKL would like to carry some of this responsibility – to be a supplement to the museums, which often have tight budgets for acquiring contemporary art. Art institutions often have priorities that differ from those of private collectors – and all purchases make a significant contribution to supporting artists financially.

The VKL Collection ranges from works by artists of past generations that were central in Norwegian art history, to works of younger, and also international artists. It includes figurative paintings, spatial installations, and ceramic sculptures – to mention just a few.

In 2018, VKL was awarded the 3-year Kunstgaven from Sparebankestiftelsen DNB. With part of this award, VKL was able to acquire works by several Norwegian artists, significantly adding to the status of the collection.

Sverre Bjertnæs and Bjarne Melgaard’s collaborative production Untitled (Christ in Limbo) (2018) was last exhibited in 2021, while the sculpture Escort (2003), by Karl Larsson and Andreas Mangione, acquired in 2003, is presented this year for the first time.

The collection will be shown at VKL and lent to other art institutions and galleries.

Participating artists

• Aurora Sander
• Roger Ballen
• Sverre Bjertnæs
• Anja Carr
• Carin Ellberg
• Christer Glein
• Marianne Heske
• Hans Heyerdahl
• Karl Larsson / Andreas Mangione
• Line Larsen (VIRG)
• Bjarne Melgaard / Sverre Bjertnæs
• Mimmo Paladino
• Kjartan Slettemark