Vårutstillingen 2022
Vårutstillingen is Norwegian for Spring Exhibition. This annual event was established in 1976 by Forbundet Frie Fotografer (FFF), the Association of Fine Arts Photographers. It’s a counterpoint to Høstutstillingen, or Autumn Exhibition, Norway’s largest event for contemporary art. With Vårutstillingen, FFF aims to ensure the inclusion and exposure of lens-based art practices in the contemporary art field. The annual group exhibition is sourced from open submissions selected by a jury of fellow professionals. Since 1988, Oslo’s Fotogalleriet serves as the exhibition venue.
The visual identity for the 2022 edition of Vårutstillingen was created by Parabol Studio. In the words of the design studio, the exhibition …
comprised works by eleven artists that distinctively explored the time in which we are living. Thematically and technically, the works express a rich diversity within the field, including virtual reality, documentary, and fictional videos, analogue darkroom photography and sculpture. The jury found thematical tendencies through the jury proceedings that centered this year’s exhibition around three recurring themes: nature, the performative and sci-fi.
Parabol Studio designed everything from social media posts to the window lettering at the venue, to the exhibition catalog. For all applications, they relied on the combination of two typefaces with different personalities: Times is the no-nonsense serif typeface intimately familiar to anyone from years of being bundled with operating systems. Production Type’s Media Sans is the contemporary sans that brings both heft and raffinesse to the mix. Originally designed for a French newspaper, it’s characterized by an extremely large x-height with extremely short descenders as well as by its pinched shoulders.
Media Sans is available in five widths, from Extra Condensed to Extended. Not enough for Parabol Studio: they dialed in a custom width that measures around 90% of the normal width, but is still wider than the Semi Condensed. The chosen weight is the heaviest out of five, the Black.
