The Sacred Space, Art by MC in Oslo

Last Saturday, I was honoured to open a very special art exhibition. It was the first solo exhibition by artist Art by MC, María Céline Qvistad-Elvik. The artworks were a testament to a wonderful journey, of wellbeing and creative expression through a combination of figurative with abstraction. The room was filled with friends, family, artists, and many passersby; many walked out of the exhibition as collectors, including myself.

What I found so deeply inspiring is the dedication and love to art making that María Céline has demonstrated during the year that she has prepared for the art show. She is a very gentle soul, a marvelous friend and also has been living with a chronic illness for decades. As it is the story for too many, she is also mothering in a villageless world. Mothering a child who was there to celebrate her mother, to be inspired herself looking up to her mother and learning from her about resilience, love and care for oneself.

I am sharing here a part of my opening speech:

“let me take you back to many years before, when Maria Celine started her art journey.  As a child she always enjoyed art making, but as it can often happen as she grew up since kept art as something she cherished and appreciated.  It was then  back during her studies in France that she had a reconnection with art, but it would still be sporadic, she kept a deep admiration for art and as an adult her love for art became more present in different ways, she started collecting art and also developed a creative expression through photography, this was all during the years when she worked as a lawyer. Photography continues to be an important part of her creative process, as a source of documentation and inspiration for her paintings.  

MC is an artist who creates art from a place of love and dedication to the process.  She explores figurative and abstract art making.  Infused with colors, that evoke her love for nature and light.  These are dreamy pieces representing a special moment, a moment when MC has reconnected with her creative spirit in full, and has embraced being artistic in her daily life.”