Mai Hofstad Gunnes
Celler og Vev
The Cabinet
23.02.23 – 02.04.23

With references to current discussions within bio­tech­no­logy, Mai Hofstad Gunnes' 16mm film con­nects weaving and genetics. In the film, titled Celler og vev (Cells and Weaving), we follow the work process of an artist col­lec­tive who com­muni­cate through a coded language. At the same time, a research group dis­covers a new genetic mutation in a labo­ra­tory for medical gene­tics. The film shows the preparation of blood samples for DNA-analysis: the coiling, measu­ring and cutting of threads, scanning by micro­scopes, and rotation of digital models. We zero in on the smal­lest com­po­nents of various sys­tems, be they the fundaments of our DNA, data pixels, or the letters in our langua­ges. Letter sequen­ces are trans­ferred from one system to another in a careful play with language on an onto­logical level – and we can wonder how a typo­graphical error or mis­under­standing can disrupt large struc­tures and have huge conse­quen­ces.

From a feminist pers­pective, Mai Hofstad Gunnes' film stages col­lec­tive actions that shed light on asso­ciative connec­tions that together form our shared ideas.

The film Celler og vev is shown every half hour.

Mai Hofstad Gunnes (b. 1977) lives and works in Oslo. Her artistic practice consists mainly of film and video instal­lation. Hofstad Gunnes was edu­cated at Univer­sität der Künste, Berlin, Center for Contem­porary Art Kita­kyushu, Japan, and received an MFA from the Academy of Fine Arts in Trond­heim in 2004. She has had solo exhi­bitions at: Entrée, Bergen; Baltic 39, Gates­head/New­castle; Trond­heim Art Museum; WIELS Centre of Con­tem­porary Art, Brussels; UKS, Oslo; and Taka Ishii Gallery, Tokyo, amongst others. She has partici­pated in a number of group exhi­bitions, inclu­ding at the National Museum, Oslo; Kunst­nernes Hus, Oslo; Kunst­hall Oslo; Kunst­hall Stavanger; CAC Con­tem­porary Art Center, Vilnius, Lithua­nia; Momen­tum 7, Moss; Tem­porary Gallery, Cologne, Germany; and Bergen Kunst­hall. Her work has been acqui­red by the National Museum of Art; Archi­tec­ture and Design, Oslo; Spare­bank­stif­telsen DnB; Arts Council Norway; Trond­heim Munici­pality; Horda­land County Munici­pality; and The Nor­wegian Public Roads Administration.

Celler og vev is supported by the Norwegian Visual Artists Fund (BKV) and the Arts Council Norway.