Background
Using a singular color emphasizes the diverse textures and physical qualities of his works and asks viewers to consider how such hues would unconventionally engage the senses. “I often draw on memories from my own childhood, seeking to evoke sensations, colors, sounds, smells, and places to visualize a bodily sense of existential uneasiness,” he shares.
From his studio in Oslo, Raustein builds large-scale constructions that create immersive, abstract environments. He blends rigid frames with soft, pliable cotton, the latter of which cloaks the skeletal components and appears as bulging sacks, weavings, and strips dangling from upper poles.
John K. Raustein was born in 1972 in Stavanger, and lives and works in Oslo. He has a Masters degree from the Art Academy of Bergen, department of textile in 2000. He has exhibited separately at, among others, RAM gallery, Galleri Format Oslo, Hå Gamle Prestegard, House of Foundation, and was recently shown at Akershus Kunstsenter. The upcoming show in Berlin will be the first solo show in Germany.
His art has been purchased by the Museum of Applied Art in Oslo, Trondheim and Bergen, and to Gascco Collection. He has made commissioned works to Goshen School and to Royal Caribbean ship Mariner of the Seas.
