Kim Hiorthøy's Plywood Installation at Kunstnernes Hus Blurs Furniture and Art

Norwegian artist Kim Hiorthøy has filled a room at Kunstnernes Hus in Oslo with plywood structures that playfully reference furniture design while rejecting functional expectations. The installation includes slabs propped against walls, step stools leading nowhere, and towers with bored holes offering views of other plywood forms. Some pieces feature Hiorthøy's tiny abstract drawings or paintings pasted on them. The artist even encased the existing functional entryway with his own slanted version, creating a humorous critique of Scandinavian design's reasonable reputation. This work continues Hiorthøy's engagement with Donald Judd's ideas about the separation of art and furniture, previously referenced in a 2016 exhibition at Standard (Oslo) where he showed paintings reminiscent of Mamma Andersson and Jockum Nordström. The current installation has been activated by local kindergarteners who interacted with the space enthusiastically. One drilled hole at face height through a plywood corner booth and the gallery wall allows a summer breeze from outside to enter directly into a viewer's mouth. The exhibition runs through 7 August.