Constance Tenvik
Art is pure inspiration, something that offers me variety and freedom
«Not all art is art. Certainly not all fashion is art, but very interesting things can happen in between.»
She was born in London but is Norwegian. She is a painter, but also a designer, sculptor, and videomaker. She tackles lofty and complex themes, yet she does so with massive doses of color and irony. She is an artist, but she has a past as a jazz dancer. Constance Tenvik has always lived immersed in a constant dichotomy, where opposites seem to meet and switch places. Many of her works feature bodies that intersect and overlap, where individual figures seem to blend with their emotions. Born in 1990, she studied at the Oslo Academy of Art and the Yale School of Art. Her CV includes solo exhibitions in Oslo, Stockholm, Stavanger, and Nice, as well as recent exhibitions in Los Angeles and New York. After working with institutions around the world—from the Moderna Museum in Stockholm to the Fundación AMMA in Mexico City—she now arrives at Palazzo Reale in Milan with a special event: the launch of the Artist Edition. The occasion is marked by the retrospective dedicated to Edvard Munch, set up in Milan in collaboration with the Munch Museum in Oslo. The project, inaugurated during fashion week, involves the presentation of two silk scarves and gloves, which Constance hand-designed with motifs inspired by the jacquard tapestries she will showcase in Norway at the end of September for the fourth edition of Solo Oslo. We meet her just a few days before the Milanese event.
You create immersive worlds through sculptures, performances, fabrics, costumes, paintings, drawings and videos. What kind of reactions you’d like to provoke in those who look at your foulards exhibited at Palazzo Reale?
«I wish to share my excitement for colour, flamboyance, myths and other stories.»
Speaking of myths, your exhibition at the Munch Museum is inspired by the ancient Greek comedy “The Birds” by Aristophanes. Why did you choose mythology? How much contemporaneity is there in Greek mythology?
«Surprisingly we have a lot in common with the humans living 414 BCE. They had debt, they took each other to court and they dreamt of a nicer life in space.»
Your silk scarves project at Palazzo Reale is very much about birdmen, gods of Olympus, fantastic figures: in your opinion, which is the way to behave with a divine creature?
«Divine creatures tend to wish for us humans to show them respect, ask for advice, pray to them, praise them, honour them, sacrifice for them and give them gifts. I like to imagine them…»
In the past you have already collaborated with textile producers in Northern Italy and the West Coast of Norway for several fashion projects…?
«Yes. I have worked a lot with Noël Saavedra who has a company in Berlin called Weberei. He is connected to weaving factories in Italy. And great scarf makers too. Innvik AS is the factory in Norway where I’ve gotten my jacquard weavings made. First in 2019 for the Astrup Fearnley Museum (Oslo) and now for the Munch museum. This time around I’ve attended a digital weaving course and appointed VEVFT who specialise in making jacquard weavings for artists. Kristina Austi and Håvard Kranstad have helped to make my visions come alive.»
Do you consider fashion as a form of art?
«If it’s Alexander McQueen it’s art. Not all art is art. Definitely not all fashion is art, but interesting things can happen in between.»
You are Norwegian but you were born in London. Where do you feel most inspired?
«I love a big city with the hustle and bustle. People are out and wear fun things and have exciting habits. It’s easier to be spontaneous and for things to flow your way. But the setup is also important. For the past nine months I’ve used Edvard Munch’s last studio as a work space and I’ve been enjoying a swimming membership. At times it’s good to be in a place you know well and can focus.»
You were dancing Jazz-ballet until 16. You were also singing in a church choir for two years. Why did you choose to be an artist and not a singer or a musician?
«I have enjoyed hobbies like dancing and choir singing, but the visual arts I’ve really studied. A bit of a baseline in movement or music is good for just about anyone, but I enjoy the freedom and variety in the way I am working now. I always have something new to work on that inspires me.»
Which could be the soundtrack for your Artist Edition project?
«
I have a playlist actually named Tio-Tio-Tinx.»
What’s next?
«I’ll be in London for all of November to attend an artist residency called PLOP. There I will be painting mostly. Then I’ll head for New York between December and May. I have some projects brewing that I am not allowed to talk about yet, but I think the horizon ahead is an exciting one.»
Interview: Germano D’Acquisto
Photos: Ludovica Arcero
