A vessel made mostly of air.

Published 21 October 2026 · WHV · Public-source editorial note

A vessel normally announces itself through a wall. In Gjertrud Hals’s Scala, that wall becomes an open network. The three pieces shown allow light and the surrounding room to remain present inside their outlines. They occupy space without making it disappear behind an opaque surface.

Structure without a solid wall

The documented materials are cotton and linen thread with resin. That combination matters because fibre alone does not explain the finished structure. Hals’s wider practice grows from textile training and a sustained exploration of vessel-like forms. Her earlier works should not, however, be used as a shortcut to the materials or construction of this particular group.

The WHV interest is a kind of material intelligence that rewards repeated looking. From one position you read an outline, from another the overlapping threads become denser. Colour, void and structure are inseparable. The work can change with its surroundings without being animated or interactive in the technological sense. It asks for attention rather than producing a spectacle on demand.

A textile object is not necessarily soft

Explore the artist’s documented practice, then seek precise information about any work offered by an artist or gallery. Ask about handling, supports, light exposure, cleaning and repair rather than assuming a textile sculpture behaves like household fabric. Confirm the date as well, since the two published records differ. The pleasure of discovering a living artistic practice should come before assumptions about rarity, environmental merit or future financial value.

Source and context.

LOEWE: Scala pieces 3–5 in the 2026 finalist announcement ↗

Gjertrud Hals: the artist’s practice and history ↗

Norwegian Crafts: Hals and her selected Scala works ↗

Apollo: a direct encounter with Hals and Scala at the exhibition ↗

The photograph shows Scala pieces 3–5. The issuer’s 2026 announcement lists 2025. Confirm the individual work record and care instructions rather than assuming the exhibition year is the making year.

Source checked 21 October 2026. WHV interpretation is distinct from the source’s account.