Exhibition “Narrative Disrupts Abstraction” of Irma Salo Jæger and Madelon Verbeek takes place in SKOG from 28 February to 30 March 2025. The opening was on the 28 February with opening speech from art critic Lars Elton.
Photo: Kevin Fauske
The Narrative Disrupts Abstraction exhibition brings together two distinct yet complementary artistic voices: Irma Salo Jæger’s dynamic, color-driven abstractions and Madelon Verbeek’s deeply personal, narrative-based explorations. Here is the (prise) list of works, and pictures (photo credit: Kevin Fauske).
“Grått bak lyset” by Irma Salo Jæger. Photo: Kevin Fauske.
Both artists engage with the world around them — Salo Jæger through the language of color and form, and Verbeek through storytelling infused with political and social reflections. Their works, spanning different generations and artistic approaches, invite the viewer into a conversation about perception, memory, and belonging.
“Color is such a natural presence everywhere that we barely notice it. Which is why it’s important that someone looks after it, takes care of it. That too is one of the painter’s most essential tasks,"
Irma Salo Jæger reflects on her career. She has taken care of colors for more than six decades, and still does today.
She has been and continues to be a central figure in Norwegian modernist painting. Her bold compositions evolve from early earthy tones into luminous, spectral palettes, demonstrating a lifelong engagement with the power of color.
Salo Jæger is not an expressionist that dissects the feeling. Her works call forward holistic feelings of a lazy afternoon or the “grey behind the light” (Grått bak lyset, 1998). With “Grått bak lyset”, the signature work of the exhibition in SKOG, we could get a feeling of an orange and warm sunrise and a day in the making. Salo Jæger leaves us with the feeling of something unexpected coming after the light. It is however only ourselves that can define and imagine the rest.
In contrast, Madelon Verbeek’s practice centers on encounters—both personal and societal—woven into a figurative, storytelling language. She explores themes of home, identity, and political landscapes, as seen in her recent frescoes at Muralverkstedet, where fragmented sections reflect both personal and international concerns. Influenced by her early experience with Norwegian fresco art, she embraces the medium as a means of capturing fleeting emotions and complex histories. Her work exists at the intersection of the individual and the collective, questioning notions of belonging in an ever-changing world.
“Triptych: Norway, Netherlands, Brain” by Madelon Verbeek. Photo: Kevin Fauske
Abstract art has historically been criticized for not being suited to conveying deeper existential and socially relevant ideas. However, toward the end of the 1960s, placing a political agenda at the forefront, abstract art took on a different role than merely opposing the dominant artistic view in Norway. The situation is similar today, where content is weighed against what is politically correct or incorrect, and form is judged based on whether it is popular, selfie-friendly, and cool, or elitist, outdated, and overused.
Together, Jæger and Verbeek offer a powerful dialogue between abstraction and narrative, emotion and analysis. Their works, though distinct in execution, share an underlying search for meaning in a world shaped by color, history, and human experience.
“Madelon’s insisting narratives challenge and disrupt the way I look at my works. The combination of abstraction and political storytelling in one and the same exhibition becomes strikingly powerful ”,
Irma Salo Jæger concludes.
Irma Salo Jæger, Madelon Verbeek, Brian Noguera-Gabrielli (SKOG)
Irma Salo Jæger (b. 1928)
A Finnish Norwegian artist and a leading figure in Norwegian modernism, Jæger is known for her bold use of color and exploration of light and movement. Irma Salo Jæger (b. 1928) has her art education from the Statens Håndverks- og Kunstindustriskole (1954–1957) and Statens Kunstakademi (1958–1961). She also holds a master's degree in art history at the University of Helsinki in 1953. Salo Jæger also holds knighthoods: Riddar tecknet av 1. klass, Finland’s Legjons Orden and Ridder av 1. klasse av St. Olavs Orden for her efforts for Norwegian visual art. In addition she holds Den nordiske Prins Eugen-medaljen.
She has done several public decorations, Rikshospitalet, Regjeringskvartalet and the University of Agder. In 2010, Jæger was appointed a knight of the 1st class of the Order of St. Olav for her contribution to Norwegian visual arts over more than six decades, still being an active artist today. Her works are featured in major international and Norwegian collections and exhibitions, including KODE 4 (2019) and Henie Onstad Kunstsenter (2017).
Madelon Verbeek (b. 1999)
Madelon Verbeek is a Dutch artist based in Norway. Verbeek holds an MA in Fine Arts from the National Academy of Arts in Oslo (KHiO), a BA from the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam, the Netherlands and an undergraduate in Art History from the University of Amsterdam.
Verbeek’s practice intertwines personal experiences with political and social themes. Using fresco and figurative storytelling, she explores concepts of home and identity. She holds a Master’s degree from the Oslo National Academy of the Arts. Kunstnernes Hus and Muralverkstedet have featured Madelon Verbeek's works.