Symposium: Correspondence - Artists Crafting Connections at Kunstnernes Hus, Oslo

26.-27. February 2026

We proudly present: Spike Bucklow, Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev in conversation with Sara Yazdani, Petra Dalström, Agnes Guttormsgaard & Vebjørn Guttormsgaard Møllberg, Jessica MacMillan, Chantal Powell, Aliya Say, Siv Bugge Vatne and the TiO2: MoW Group. Organised by Marte Johnslien. 

‘TiO2: The Materiality of White’ project welcomes you to the two-day symposium Correspondence – Artists Crafting Connections, which investigates alchemical and esoteric approaches in material-based art.Artists who work with colour, whether in ceramic glazes, dyed yarns or printing inks, draw on traditions rooted in a wide and interconnected web of knowledge. Through hands-on processes such as throwing clay, spinning fibres or forging metal, they explore natural principles of growth, gravity and transformation. By engaging closely with materials – organic, mineral or human-made – artists can reveal hidden properties and unexpected cultural bridges, sometimes leading to works that challenge dominant narratives and scientific norms. 

Today, contemporary art and philosophy increasingly examine the boundaries of matter and the connections between human and non-human worlds. Correspondence aims to reveal sites where alchemical and esoteric thinking align with contemporary perspectives. Through presentations by a group of artistsand scholars, it seeks to make visible how material-based art can resonate with relational views of physical reality. The symposium also aims to expand the notion of material-based art by exploring how artists build on existing symbols, language, natural forces and abstract imagery as ‘material’ elements within their practices. Correspondence seeks to highlight how artists forge unexpected connections that can lead to new understandings of matter and our shared alchemical past. The symposium is curated and organised by Marte Johnslien, associate professor of Ceramic Art and leader of the artistic research project ‘TiO2: The Materiality of White’. The symposium is part of the conclusion of the research project, which has been running since 2022. Correspondence is created in conjunction with Agenda, with the support of the subject area Ceramics, department of Art and Craft, Oslo National Academy of the Arts, Norway. The project is funded by the Norwegian Programme for Artistic Research, the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills. Open for all but be there early, since there is a limited number of seats and no registration. Free entrance.

PROGRAMME THURSDAY 26 th February 2026 10:00 Welcome and introduction, Marte Johnslien 10:30 “Vegetative Alchemy & The Artist as Living Vessel”, Chantal Powell 11:20 “Material Presence”, Petra Dahlström 12:00 - 13:00 Lunch break 13:00 “Pre-modern and Port-modern Correspondences”, Spike Bucklow 13:50 “Interference”, Agnes Guttormsgaard and Vebjørn Guttormsgaard Møllberg 14:30 Short break 14:40-15:45 Panel conversation and Q&A with presenters. 16:00– 18:00 Launch of “Titanium Dioxide in Ceramic Glaze Compendium” and mini exhibition in the foyer, with the TiO2: Materiality of White Group.  FRIDAY 27 th February 2026 9:30 Welcome, Marte Johnslien 9:40 “From the Cloud of Unknowing to the Tree of Knowledge: The path that knows is the path that blooms”, Aliya Say 10:30 “Cracking the Voynich Cipher", Siv Bugge Vatne 11:00 Coffee break 11:15 Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev in conversation with Sara Yazdani 12:15 Lunch 13:00 “Burning Days”, Jessica MacMillan 13:40 “The Alchemy of Titanium White”, Marte Johnslien 14:15–15:30 Panel conversation and Q&A with presenters.