Nico Widerberg

A journey of reminiscence, with the doors of Sortland hotel – the common project of the artist and author – serving as a starting and turning point. The text is a masterful exploration of how Nico became Nico, but also a description of how a sculpture is made:«The block of stone is, to Nico, what the blank page is to me – possibility. But that’s where the difference begins, too. Nico removes. I add. I build, word by word. He removes, piece by piece.»Trygve Indrelid’s many photos from inside the workshop paint photographic portraits of a sculptor at work, in a physical struggle with the elements. Through Indrelid’s lens we can see the sparks in the rebuilt workshop – cutting torch and welding mask, water, clay, bronze, stone, glass and fire, but no brush and palette. Indrelid has watched Nico at work for years, seen him finish works that have been displayed in public places, as well as privately owned works withheld from the public – but not from the photographer.The last part of the book shows a large selection of Nico Widerberg’s works, with emphasis on the most recent production.The book is designed by Henrik Haugan.