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OPEN CALL
Soap

Emne Studio, in collaboration with Fure Studio, invites artists to create soap sculptures for an exhibition in the distinctive and historic rooms of the Reksten Villa in Bergen.
 
We are looking for artists who want to create a three-dimensional sculpture using soap as the primary material, each sculpture weighing approximately 2 kg. The work may be explored freely within this framework.

Soap is a malleable material that can take on form, texture, and scent. At the same time, one can look to Joseph Beuys and his use of fat as a plastic material. The fat melts, solidifies, sags, and reacts to the space around it—qualities Beuys used as a metaphorical way of working with warmth, process, and a material that is never entirely controllable.

Both materials change, weather, and react to their surroundings. At the same time, soap is historically linked to health, sanitation, and cleanliness.

The earliest traces of soap production come from Mesopotamia, where ash and oils were mixed into a cleansing paste several thousand years ago. Later, cultures around the Mediterranean developed traditions such as Aleppo and Marseille soap, based on olive oil and natural lye. With chemical discoveries in the 1700s and the industrial revolution of the 1800s, soap became an everyday product associated with hygiene, health, and well-being.

Material: Soap
Quantity: Approx 2 kg. of soap
Form: Three-dimensional sculpture Display: Public exhibition at the Reksten Villa

PRACTICAL 
INFORMATION

Deadline to show interest: 18 December 2025
Responses sent by: 20 December 2025
Picking up soap:20-21.12.2025
Submission of finished work: Before 16 January 2026
Exhibition: 17–18 January 2026, 12:00–18:00
Location: Statsminister Michelsens veg 36, 5230 Paradis


Artists receive:
- symbolic honorarium
- material support
- professional documentation
- visibility during the exhibition


Organizers
A collaboration between Emne Studio and Fure Studio, offering professional support and access to excellent local resources. This event is supported by Bergen Municipality. 🔗


How to Apply
Send a short message including:
  • motivation
  • idea/concept or references to previous work
  • contact information


Send to: emnestudio@gmail.com