In this exhibition, Cheann presents a body of work inspired by the enduring allure of Metaphysical art—an artistic pursuit that sought to reveal a reality beyond the physical by transforming the familiar into the mysterious and quietly unsettling. Drawing from a movement marked by illogical juxtapositions, stillness, and disorienting spatial constructions; she reinterprets these perceptions through jewelry, sculpture, and installation.
The Metaphysical painters of the early twentieth century created dreamlike interiors and uncanny urban vistas as they confronted a rapidly modernizing world and the erosion of classical ideals during the First World War. Cheann reflects on this moment of artistic and cultural upheaval, finding parallels in their challenge to agency and meaning that is also present in our time.
The jewelry, sculpture, and installation operate at the threshold between the intimate and the architectural. The rings—conceived as wearable sculptures—invite the wearer to use them as viewfinders, framing fragments of the surrounding environment. As such, they become instruments for looking, mediating perception and drawing the exterior world inward. By viewing landscapes through these objects, the wearer encounters a reframed reality in which the metaphysical subtly inflects the everyday. Through this interplay of scale, object, body, and environment, Veronica invites visitors to reconsider how perception shapes the terrain of experience.
Veronica Cheann (1976, Hong Kong), is based at Nesodden, Norway, and received her bachelor degree in material based art in KHIO. She has several solo exhibitions in Norway, and has taken part in Årsutstillingen and exhibition at Trøndelag Centre for Contemporary Art. Cheanns work was acquired by Trondheim kommune in 2024. She has also exhibited in Germany during Munich Jewellery Week, Galerie Mazeel in the Netherlands, and Beijing International Jewelry Art Exhibitions. Beside her art practice, Cheann is also a trained landscape designer and architect, and worked in these fields together for over 16 years.
The exhibition is supported by Arts Council Norway.
FORMAT
Format was founded in 1991 and is a leading gallery for contemporary crafts and design in Norway. The gallery is an exhibition and sales venue of the finest artistic quality within the material-based arts. The gallery aims to strengthen the position of Norwegian contemporary crafts and design internationally and through working with both established and emerging artists the gallery reflects the various tendencies in contemporary crafts and design today. The gallery’s goal is to challenge established norms while highlighting key values in the field by actively bringing a wider spectrum of artistic practices in material-based art to the fore.
FORMAT OPEN CALL 2027/2028
Format is a leading gallery for contemporary craft. The gallery presents professional, material-based artists. By exhibiting established artists and new talents side by side, the gallery reflects the various tendencies within contemporary craft today. Through exhibitions and outreach to a wide audience, Format works to increase knowledge and understanding of contemporary craft. The gallery aims to be a central and visible actor in the field, promoting the quality and diversity that contemporary craft represents. Format hosts six exhibition periods per year, featuring up to 18 different exhibitions. The gallery showcases the breadth of the field in relation to diverse materials, techniques, and forms of expression.
Submit your exhibition proposal—including concept, images, and bio—in a single PDF file (max 5 MB) to oslo@format.no. Remember to include a name in the PDF filename and mark the email subject line with “Open Call”.
The application deadline is January 9, 2026. Applications will be reviewed by a professional jury, and results will be communicated during March 2026.
Floor plan
Opening hours
Tuesday - Friday 12 - 17
Saturday - Sunday 12 - 16
Closed during the Christmas, Easter, Pentecost and Summer Holidays (July)
Accessibility
Format is accessible for disabled guests and wheelchair users. You can find a wheelchair access next door to the gallery in Kongens gate.
Contact
Format
Rådhusgaten 24 N-0151 Oslo
T +47 22 41 45 40
oslo@format.no