We will during a period of 9 weeks, introduce all the artists who have taken part in our AiR in S12 program. Every week we will send out a newsletter introducing participating artists, year by year with information on our www page, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and slowly an exhibition will come to life in our Gallery.
 
The AiR in S12 program was launched in 2010 and has since hosted 48 international artists who work both within and outside the glass field. Its goal is to support international artists who use experimental, conceptual, and innovative approach when working with glass. One to two artists can be hosted at a time, and they are provided with housing, unlimited access to the workshop, assistance, and in many cases the possibility to display their works or arrange an exhibition at the end of their stay. S12’s unique situation, as a combination of an open access workshop that maintains and runs an adjacent gallery and a project room, allows artists, during the development of their work to think about how to best present the work when finished. Located on a street level in the center of town, it has also been possible for the public to meet the artists and to follow the process from experimenting with the material to making and then presenting a completed work.
 
We welcome you on this journey with us and hope you will enjoy meeting the 48 artists, seeing their works both in the making and when ready in an exhibition.
AiR i S12 has been supported by the City of Bergen from its beginning, and the running of the workshop has been made possible by the Norwegian Arts Council.
Other instances who have supported the program during shorter periods are:
Kulturkontakt Nord/Nordic Culture Point – 1 yr. (2015/16)
Norske kunsthåndverkere 2 yrs (2013/14)
 
«Mixed media doesn’t get any more mixed than in the outrageously smart, irresistibly ugly, gloriously provocative work of Einar and Jamex de la Torre.»
Leah Ollman, Special to The Times feb 8, 2008
 
The exhibition "Fallen Angels" by Einar & Jamex de la Torre took place in S12 between May 20th and  July 3rd, 2011.
S12 had not formally established an artist in residence program in 2011, however  The de la Torre Brothers came to Bergen to be in residence, and used the time very productively, giving demos, artist talk and created new work for the Exhibition in S12. Their stay in Bergen was  combined with a residency in Toulouse, France. The exhibition in Bergen was one of several stops in Europe where they showed their work during 2011 and 2012. A few of the works created in S12 did find a new home and still remain in Bergen, other works left Bergen to go on a trip around Europe.   
  
In S12, the de la Torre brothers demonstrated their well known technical expertise and artistry, a way of working not previously experienced in our workshop. Assisting them in their work was a challenge and the demos and the daily activities in the workshop created excitement and left our visitors gasping, having never seen artists work with glass this way.  Wherever the Brothers go, they interact in a special way with the culture and environment where they find themselves, their work in Bergen was no exception.
 
It was a special treat to have the de la Torre Brothers visit S12 and Bergen in 2011 and when they left, S12 was left with a strong desire to continue on this path and create a proper residency program. At this point in time their work was receiving increased attention and exposure in the United States and Mexico and had already been purchased by museums in the United States, Germany and Japan.
 
«Yes is not the typical response to an either/or question, but Einar and Jamex de la Torre prefer not to exclude possibilities if they can help it. Inclusion, especially with all of its messiness and contradictions, is by far their more natural mode - and a more pertinent prism through which to consider their work: Is it glass art, installation, painting, or sculpture? Yes. Are Einar and Jamex Mexican or American? Yes. Are they social critics, historians, pop artists, or conceptualists? Yes. Is their work sensationalistic or is it wise? Yes.»
Leah Ollman april 12, 2001
https://delatorrebros.com
 
GALLERIE S12
Sparebanksgaten 4A
N-5017 Bergen, Norge
+47 (0)55 31 53 10
s12.no‎