Hanna Fauske / RAKE visningsrom

Erik Elk.
Cabin installation by Hanna Fauske. 
Photo: Hanna Fauske
Erik Elk. Cabin installation by Hanna Fauske. Photo: Hanna Fauske

RAKE visningsrom
Hanna Fauske was presented by RAKE visningsrom in the Cabin Series. Curated by Trygve Ohren and Charlotte Rostad.

ERIK ELK
Cabin. 640, deck 6.
Saturday 23.09.2017

Erik Elk, About Fauskes installation on board:
Erik Elk is a man in his forties. Once a month he boards Hurtigruta to escape the confines of his home, located in the countryside of Trøndelag. What separates Erik from the rest of the passengers is that he has a tendency to leave his cabin unlocked. If you’re the curious kind, you can enter and snoop around in this private sphere. In the cabin, one will come across an array of ordinary objects belonging to Erik. You can, among other scattered items, peruse his suitcase and toiletries. On the TV you can watch his favorite TV-show: Vigdis’ Cooking-show, and by way of a Discman, you can also listen to his favorite band: De fede svin. Taken together, these clues to Erik’s character allow an image to form: an impression of the person occupying this space.

Erik Elk. Installation and TV show by Hanna Fauske. Photo: Laimonas Puisys.
Erik Elk. Installation and TV show by Hanna Fauske. Photo: Laimonas Puisys.
"Hanna Fauske TV", a fictional TV cooking show by Fauske, screened in a cabin at Hurtigruten as a part of her Elik Elk installation. Filmstill by Hanna Fauske.
"Hanna Fauske TV", a fictional TV cooking show by Fauske, screened in a cabin at Hurtigruten as a part of her Elik Elk installation. Filmstill by Hanna Fauske.

In Fauske’s work we find ourselves in a fictitious world populated by so-called ordinary people. As viewers we are invited into the private spheres of these characters, where Fauske puts emphasis on objects and situations that, seemingly, are completely ordinary. But what Fauske is actually doing, is posing questions, questions which try to shed light on what makes something ‘ordinary’, and what happens when the ordinary is accentuated.

CD cover produced for Fauskes cabin and fictional band.
CD cover produced for Fauskes cabin and fictional band.

Hanna Fauske (b. 1988 in Fredrikstad, Norway) has a role in several different aspects of Trondheims art scene. She holds a BFA from Trondheim Academy of Fine Art (2014). As an artist, she is interested in how social norms create a framework that stipulates how we should act, feel and behave, and how this leads to a herd-mentality. The challenge, as she sees it, is to reconstruct the mundane and prosaic in order to create an arena which allows for sideways-thinking, and possibility of the absurd and ambiguous making an appearance. In order to achieve this, Fauske often makes use of humor. This allows for a lighthearted and casual approach to what may be considered strange and slightly abnormal. Mainly Fauske works with photography and video, but in addition to this, she also employs other modes of expression, such as installation, sound, text, scents and location. Hanna Fauske lives and works in Trondheim, Norway.

RAKE visningsrom
Founded in 2011 by Trygve Ohren and Charlotte Rostad, RAKE visningsrom is a non commercial, artist-run gallery focusing on contemporary art and architecture. The building is designed and constructed by re-using materials from an office building ready for demolition. The space is semi-mobile and is currently at its third location at Brattørkaia, Trondheim, Norway.