Five Artists Receive TSSK’s Production Grant 2026
Sophia Lee, Alexandra Jegerstedt, Tobias Liljedahl, Erlend Leirdal og Sissel M Bergh.
Foto: Agnete Brun / Mats Linder / Jana Pavlova
Trøndelag Centre for Contemporary Art is pleased to announce the recipients of TSSK’s Production Grant 2026, made possible through the Regional Grants scheme of the Norwegian Visual Artists Fund (BKH).
The five artists are Tobias Liljedahl, Sophia Lee, Erlend Leirdal, Sissel M. Bergh, and Alexandra Jegerstedt. Each artist receives a grant of NOK 40,000, bringing the total amount awarded to NOK 200,000.
This year’s jury consisted of artist Lin Wang (NBK), textile artist Anne Bårdsgård (NKM), and artist Kristin Tårnes (TBK).
Jury Statement
The jury received 36 applications and selected five artists to receive TSSK’s Production Grant for 2026. These are strong projects that stood out among many excellent applications.
The selected artists demonstrate clear concepts, strong potential, and well-presented project proposals. The jury has chosen artistic practices and projects at different stages of development. By supporting a range of phases, themes, working methods, and artistic expressions, the jury aims to reflect the breadth of the region’s contemporary art community.
One of this year’s recipients has received the grant in recent years. This was discussed thoroughly by the jury, and we nevertheless chose to award support again, as the applicant in question stood out among the field of applicants.
This Year’s Grant Recipients
Tobias Liljedahl (b. 1988) receives a production grant to develop a project addressing large-scale standardization, artificial intelligence, and language models. The project examines how automation and efficiency influence authentic experience, and demonstrates a mature and visually compelling artistic practice with clear contemporary relevance.
Sophia Lee receives a production grant to develop the project Maybe tomorrow, when I have time, a large-scale kinetic weaving installation in which textiles from the artist’s mother’s wardrobe are combined with biomaterials made from organic and locally collected waste. The project explores the relationship between memory, material attachment, environmental impact, close relationships, and diaspora.
Erlend Leirdal (b. 1964) receives a production grant to develop the project OR-BU, in which he investigates grey alder as a sculptural material. Drawing on a locally sourced timber with distinctive qualities, the project explores the material’s visual potential and craft-based possibilities. Through sculpture, Leirdal places the characteristics of the wood in dialogue with the physical and cultural surroundings of the site.
Sissel M. Bergh (b. 1974) receives a production grant to complete works connected to two thematic strands. One examines national narratives developed during the nation-building period of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, while the other seeks to explore Sámi understandings of landscape through place names.
Alexandra Jegerstedt (b. 1986) receives a production grant to produce KOKONG, a series of welded steel sculptures forming part of an installation with sound created in collaboration with composer and percussionist Martin Smidt.
The jury would like to thank everyone who applied. Taken together, the applications testify to a diverse, ambitious, and vibrant art community in the region.
May 21, 2026
Anne Bårdsgård, Lin Wang and Kristin Tårnes
