Ragnhild Arneberg

Ragnhild Arneberg explores a variety of artistic expressions, all depending on what she wishes to convey. Convention is a remarkable embroidery on recycled bed linen, tablecloths, and other domestic textiles. According to the artist, the piece celebrates both the Bayeux Tapestry as a narrative medium and the “wonderful women of the past and present, and the efforts of their diligent hands”. The word “convention” has two meanings, both “custom” – here alluding to how embroidery is associated with women’s work – and “gathering”. Arneberg’s gathering consists of 200 women, the famous and the obscure, conversing with one another across time and space, including philosophers, artists, rulers, warriors, and scientists. The tapestry is low-key in tone but rooms a wealth of stories. Each person is identified by their name and lifespan and a brief description. All told, the work becomes an extended frieze – a chronicle. The French Bayeux Tapestry from around the 1070s, which has inspired the artist, illustrates the invasion of England by the Norman duke William the Conqueror. Arneberg, by contrast, wants to convey the overlooked place of women in history. MY