'A FEMALE GAZE ' AN ARTISTS TALK BY CHARLOTTE WIIG

Charlotte  a member of "A Female gaze'. photographers Collective will be talking about the issues raised in the exhibition . It is called' Mother Nature on a Saturday Night '
Norwegians’ relationship with nature and challenges traditional
expectations of nature and landscape photography.

From the time of the Norwegian Romantic Nationalism movement, the
ideals of Norwegian landscape have been deeply rooted in the Norwegian soul and identity as a manifestation of who we are and what we value.

The experience of the sublime, as seen in Norwegian art historical context, could be said to be portrayed by steep mountains, deep fjords, and dramatic lighting – all of which reaffirms that nature is larger and more powerful than humans – perhaps even bigger than God.

This particular cultural phenomenon – this religious-like reverence for nature – is typically Norwegian and recognised, understood, and practiced by Norwegians, but widely misunderstood by others.In this exhibition  they ask themselves why this almost 200 year old notion is still so prevalent in today’s society, what expectation it places on its inhabitants, and the character it exposes in our culture.In the history of artistic mediums, the advent of photography as a technique and expression coincides with the growing acceptance of female artists. However, nature and landscape photography is still a heavily male-dominated field.Therefore, the aim is to present a counterbalance to the male gaze within this genre, whilst at the same time to explore the Norwegian concept of nature as a culturally defining force.