Applications are now open for a working period in 2023 at KHMessen in Norway!
The Art residence gives time for reflection, research, presentation and production. We welcome visual artists, writers, composer/musicians, performance artists at any stage of their careers who are interested in exploring and expanding their work in a unique and supportive environment. KHMessen consists of artistically crafted and unique living and studio spaces. Time spans are individually based – 1 to 3 months, accommodating 4 to 6 artists at a time.
KHMessen is situated in the small town Ålvik surrounded by mountains and very close to the fjord.
KHMessen AiR program is particularly beneficial to those who find it restorative to live in a community environment surrounded by the natural beauty of the mountains and fjords.
The spaces are versatile, providing residents with opportunities to connect and interact with other artists in the house and with the Ålvik community. Also to create and participate with the monthly Open studio and artist talks or house concerts.
Please note: Residency periods are for full calendar month(s) and we ask a fee of 1000 Norwegian Krone per month.
The application for 2023 is open till the end of June 2022.
You can apply with our online application form, that is accessible by this link:
Remember the Hardanger carpark at Messen? The artists Sjaak Langenberg and Rosé de Beer (NL) were responsible for that wonderful art project at KHMessen in 2012. It received a lot of attention in the papers both in the Netherlands as in Norway. It was a temporary project and the norwegian weather took it away.
Now Sjaak Langenberg and Rosé de Beer have returned to KHMessen on invitation from the Artpark selection committee to re-make the Hardanger carpark. And this time it will last a little bit longer.
The artists are persistent in their way of working and nothing will keep them from painting the parking lot (they even put up their party-tent) ! We are very excited and are looking forward!Read about their work and the parking lot in 2011:
Ninet Kaijser from the Netherlands was one of our last guest of this year for KHMessen. From now the artist residency goes into hibernation until the first of January when the new guests will arrive again.
Ninet Kaijser makes drawings with color pencils. Her drawings reminded us so much of Norwegian landscapes that it suprised us that she had never been here before. Just before Ninet left for the Netherlands again we paid her one last visit at her studio to admire the large landscape drawings she has been working on this month.
The typical earthly colors and the absence of humans the landscapes make you feel as if you are part of something huge looking out over water and mountains. You can almost feel the crispy air you often have on a mountain top and the smell of moist moss hangs in the air around you.
The drawings are inspired on the walks Ninet did in the past month. Where she merged with the Norwegian landscape. Sometimes overwhelmed by its beauty. In het studio she revives this feeling and forms the landscape that has been shaped in her mind by memory, smell, sight and inner thoughts. With this she creates a new land-shape.
Visningsrommet i Kunstnarhuset Messen opnar ein ny utstilling med maleri av Johild Mæland. Mæland er frå Hardanger og busett på Utne. Ho viser maleri med akryl på plate eller lerret.
Messen Art Park From April 2021 project Messen Art Park has started! During this month 3 artworks will be created and placed in the park located next to the residency. The first 3 artists selected to develop an artwork for the park are: Gabriel Johann Kvendseth (Norway), Aud Bækkelund (Norway) and Simone Hooymans (NL/Norway).
At the opening of the park (photo by Aud Bækkelund)