The QSPA 2026 exhibition in Nusfjord, Lofoten, presents works by HM Queen Sonja with a focus on the Norwegian landscape.
“Project: Lofoten” is the result of an artistic collaboration between HM Queen Sonja and Lars Lerin. The series comprises graphic prints with motifs from the northern Norwegian landscape. The works have been created through close collaboration between the two artists, and several of them bear both of their signatures.
For many years, Queen Sonja has worked with printmaking, often inspired by nature and the landscapes of Northern Norway. Throughout much of his artistic career, Lars Lerin has turned his gaze towards Lofoten, where the shifting light and weather has left a lasting impact on his work. Together they have explored the rhythms of nature and created works that unite two distinct artistic voices in a shared poetic interpretation.
In the printing process itself, the Queen and Lerin worked both together and separately, creating layers within the same image. The result is a seamless merging of the two artists’ expressions. The title “Project: Lofoten” refers both to the specific geographical location and to the shared artistic project. The series is a tribute to the landscape of the north, and to printmaking’s ability to open up space for collaboration, interpretation and mutual inspiration.
In addition to this collaboration, the exhibition includes works by HM Queen Sonja produced at Universal Limited Art Editions (ULAE) on Long Island, New York. Presented are the lithographs Green Gaze and Blue Gaze. Both works are based on a photographic image of a snow-covered branch. The prints explore the relationship between positive and negative forms, demonstrating how in the lithographic process, the use of greasy crayons and tusche allows for subtle shifts in texture, and contours.
Also presented is Sne-serie I (Snow-series I), a photographic series printed on handmade paper. The images depict the snow-covered Norwegian landscape, where the tactile qualities of the paper become an important part of the visual expression.
Through these works, different print and image-making techniques come together, highlighting the Queen’s continued exploration of material processes and the varied possibilities within contemporary printmaking.
