Totally tubular

Kvasbo preserves the traditional method of firing using wood. He traveled to Japan in the mid-1980s where he learned about the construction of the ancient anagama kiln. This type of pottery kiln was brought from China around the fifth century, and was built on slopes to resemble a climbing dragon, earning it the nickname "dragon kiln" in China.

Kvasbo later built the first anagama kiln in Norway, outside his studio. Now, some of the works fired using the kiln are being shown in Beijing, the country where the dragon kiln was born.

In a video speech at the exhibition's opening, Kvasbo said it took him 47 years from when he began creating ceramic art, to "walk" from a village in Norway to China and the CAFA museum.

He said there are roughly 300 people living in Venabygd, his hometown, and his job is to "tell the stories of their lives, their culture and the rhythm of their bodies between work and rest in a severely cold environment, as well as depict the aging process and passage of time".

He said that working with clay has exposed him to a lot of pressure, and it has helped him understand that the clay and fire possess certain energies out of his control or calculation.