Karen Pederstad

Mold

10/10/2026—07/11/2026

Balustrade, 2026

Soil, roots, willow

180 x 24 x 110 cm and up

View, 2026

Parts of a used greenhouse

122 × 253 cm

Installation view

Growing house 2, 2026

Greenhouse components, silicone tubing, soil, roots, animal glue, asparagus fern (Asparagus setaceus), air pump, and water pump

170 × 120 × 41 cm

Detail, Growing House 2

Installation view

Veksthus 1, 2026

Greenhouse components, silicone tubing, soil, roots, animal glue, baby's tears (Soleirolia soleirolii), air pump, and water pump

145 x 280 x 50 cm

Installation view

Detail, Growing house 1

Column, 2026

Soil, roots, animal glue

185 x 45 cm

Detail, Column

In the exhibition

Mold

, Karen Pederstad presents sculptural installations made from living materials of soil and roots cast into forms. The frameworks are assembled from several greenhouses, where nature has already initiated a process of growth.

The living elements depend on the structures of the industrial materials, while the synthetic materials are activated by moisture, mold, and movement.

Mold

is soil. Fungal growth. A casting form.

To mold

: to shape. To influence the development of something or someone. In Pederstad's work, nature is not a backdrop, but an active participant. Through silicone tubes threaded according to the logic of weaving, water is carried into the systems, creating conditions for growth in which the formative potential lies in the future. Living material allows for transformation – it contains its own source of movement; it is pure possibility, full of

potentiality

and substance.

Her works often require a considerable degree of attention through tending and watering. Care is an integral part of the works, while their dependence on continuous human attention can also become a practical challenge. In the seemingly autonomous works presented in this exhibition, one might assume that this issue has been resolved. Yet here, too, a need for maintenance arises, from sealing leaks to repairing pumps. These works also require care, however self-sufficient they may appear. They depend on someone taking responsibility for them, on someone feeling enough love for them. Only then can the static frameworks (fence, column, greenhouse) be set in motion.

The exhibition program at Salgshallen is supported by the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Affairs (Kulturdirektoratet).

Karen Pederstad (b. 1983, Gran, Norway) works with botanical sculpture and installation and is based in Oslo. After completing a BA in Fashion and Costume Design at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts (KHiO, 2003–2006), she moved to Paris, where she worked as a design assistant at Maison Martin Margiela (2007). She later worked as a jewellery designer under her own label, with her work sold at venues including Comme des Garçons Trading Museum in Tokyo. In 2018, she founded Bukett!, a botanical studio delivering bouquets, installations, and planting projects with assignments for many of Norway’s leading art and cultural institutions. Since 2024, she has participated in several group exhibitions, including

Rekreasjon

, Kunsthall Dikemark (2024);

Rituals

, Salgshallen (2024);

Sommerutstillingen

, Holmsbu Kunstmuseum (2025);

Høstutstillingen

(2025);

Kunstnernes Efterårsudstilling

, Den Frie, Denmark (2025);

Skulpturparken 25/26

, Billedhoggerforeningen; and