Important Norwegian sculptor shows in Tenerife

Associated media

Tenerife’s TEA (Tenerife Arts Space) will be hosting an exhibition by Norwegian artist Arnold Haukeland, who lived in Tenerife in the 1970s. From 25 April to 31 August 2014, visitors will have the opportunity to see some of the best pieces of work that Haukeland created during his residency on the island.

Norwegian sculptor Arnold Haukelandt (1920–83) was a pioneer of abstract expressionism in Norway. He lived and worked in Tenerife from 1968 to 1975 and it was in his home studio (‘Casa Randi’), in the northern town of Icod de los Vinos, where some of his sculptures were first designed.

The project ‘El Rey de Icod’ (‘The King of Icod’) – organized by TEA and supported by the government of Tenerife (Cabildo), EEA Grants and the Norwegian Embassy – will bring some of the pieces of art that Haukeland made whilst living on the island back to their original environment for both residents and visitors to view. In addition to Haukeland’s sculptures, the project will also feature a wide range of exhibition-related activities including lectures, workshops and a photography display with images that his wife Randi took during their time in Tenerife.

Surrounded by the pessimism that followed the Second World War, it is claimed that the Spanish environment and the friendly and optimistic attitude of the people of Tenerife influenced Haukeland’s work, as did various Spanish artists of the time such as Joan Miró, Pablo Serrano, Jorge de Oteiza and Eduardo Chillida. Haukeland’s techniques have inspired many younger Norwegian artists including Matias Faldbakken, Marius Engh, Ida Ekblad and Sverre Wyller, whose works will also be displayed at the exhibition.

This exhibition will be held at TEA until the end of August 2014. TEA is a cultural space of 20,622 square metres which regularly hosts a great variety of exhibitions, photography displays and celebrated works of art. Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, who have worked on projects such as the Tate Modern in London, worked with Spanish architect Virgilio Gutiérrez to design the geometrical construction of the building, located in the historical centre of Santa Cruz, Tenerife’s capital city.