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Between reality and art The title "Transmisjoner og Kuplinger" (transmissions and couplings) is not the only intriguing aspect to these works. The sculptures are peculiar; peculiar in the sense that they are hard to define. It might be due to the wealth of materials, the loving craftsmanship, their on site installation, as well as scale. Their impact transgresses our traditional perception of sculpture. These objects are relatively small, and they are tightly packed on the wall. Yet every sculpture is so complete in its own right, and seem to be without a predetermined scale. The objects can be imagined as large, but they function perfecty well as small. The amorphous forms in this series, with subtitles such as "tripole" and "dynamo", lend associations to functional and technical objects. They are suggestive of machine parts with unidentified functions, as well as bodily organs. They are objects in the no mans land between the organic and the functional, the corporal and the technical. Their expression and execution lead to subtle playful challenging sculptures that encapsulate the dualities of masculine and feminine. Every object has the same innate duality. Craftsmanship and handcraft are equals in wood, felt, metal, embroidery, polyester and ready-mades. The objects induce the hand's desire to touch. Of course, Martine Linge playfully yet seriously discusses the work of other artists too. She can be seen as following a tradition in which Eva Hesse (1935-1970) is a role model; Hesse moved outside the boundaries of the figurative and the abstract. She revolted against the predominant rigid masculinity of Minimalisim and turned her attention to the subtle, the introverted, but also to the playfully absurd and the grotesque. AnneSchäffer (translation: Helen Eriksen)
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