Frantzsen&Mjanger

Frantzsen&Mjanger was established in January 2017 and consists of Maria Almås Frantzsen, MA in visual art/glass and Ruth Hol Mjanger, associate professor in drama. The artist duo is located in Bergen and Oslo and draw on their interdisciplinary competence to search beyond conventional glassmaking techniques and skills. They challenge the traditional approach to glass by connecting craft and performative, contemporary art. Glass serves as a tool for engagement that invites their audience to become co-creators in their artistic practice.

Their debut was at the Annual craft exhibition 2017 and in 2019 the duo was awarded the Norwegian Craft prize from The Relief Fund for Visual Artists (BKH) for the piece "Holding Breath". Over the last five years they have had collaborations and presented their work in a variety of venues; outdoor art events, galleries, performance festivals, and universities. In March 2020 they started a 2-year-long project with the public library in Bergen where a series of Lend a Breath was made available for loan. In 2021, they presented their first solo exhibition at RAM Gallery, Oslo, Norway. Internationally, they have presented their work at the Glass Art Society Virtual Conference 2020, Glass, Meet the Future 2021 and European Glass Context 2021.  

For more details, see CV .

Maria Almås Frantzsen

Frantzsen (b. 1977) received her bachelor's and master's degree in art with a specialization in glass from Edinburgh College of Art. For almost eleven years she was part of the team at S12 Galleri and Verksted ( 2009-2021) In the beginning of 2021 she made a change and has since focused on her own full-time artistic practice in Frantzsen&Mjanger and Kunstsone, a community-based public art project. Her work is presented in the permanent collection of KODE in Bergen and Sogn og Fjordane kunstmuseum and revolves around human, emotional and physical experiences.

Ruth Hol Mjanger 

Mjanger (b. 1977) is an associate professor in drama at NLA University College, with drama education from Agder University College and Bergen University College, in addition to intercultural studies at NLA. With her background as an artist, teacher and researcher, she often works in interdisciplinary and relational collaborations which explores connections between art, body, space and existential issues. Mjanger has for the last 12 years been a project coordinator for NLA's involvement in developing teacher education in Nepal. Her artistic (research) practice is related to Frantzsen&Mjanger.