Henrik Nordahl
Born 1992, Oslo, Norway.
Multidisplinary artist situated in Oslo, Norway.
BFA in Graphic Design:
National Academy of Arts Oslo 2017
MFA in Fine Arts:
Parsons, The New School, New York 2023
CV
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Design & illustration
Born 1992, Oslo, Norway.
Multidisplinary artist situated in Oslo, Norway.
BFA in Graphic Design:
National Academy of Arts Oslo 2017
MFA in Fine Arts:
Parsons, The New School, New York 2023
CV
Design & illustration
Upcoming solo-exhibition
Welcome to the opening of Henrik Nordahl's solo exhibition Natura Naturata, 24 April 6 - 8 pm, at Tad Galleri, in Oslo.
Address: Drammensveien 130, Building B, entrance 13, 0277 Oslo.
During the opening, you will experience a live music performance from Streifenjunko, consisting of Espen Reinertsen (saxophone and electronics) and Eivind Lønning (trumpet and electronics).
At the exhibition Natura Naturata, you will get to experience a series of large abstract sculptures and a series of large abstract motifs. The visual language draws inspiration from universal principles found in nature: the concept of repeating one form in different compositions that generate an organic architecture. The works are the result of imitating biosemiotic mechanisms found in our surroundings, in an attempt to decode and open up the possibilities of interpreting nature's own design language.
The material used to create the sculptures are rolls of drywall paper tape, conventionally used to join sheetrock together. Nordahl has developed a technique to give shape to these rolls by pulling out the center of the roll like a telescope. This simple action completely changes the appearance of the rolls and the result resembles something that could be found in nature: a horn, a seashell, a seed or a sprout of some kind. The form is recognizable, yet ambiguous. He repeats this cone shape and organizes it together in different constellations.
Nordahl is interested in the stories that materials and form can carry and he attempts to find ways to highlight these stories in his interaction with the material. We react emotionally to everything we surround ourselves with and we attach these things to our language and give them meaning, and this shapes our relationship with these objects. In a capitalist and consumer-oriented era, however, we tend to ‘dumb down’ materials, and we become alienated from the long life cycle of everyday objects. We mass-produce simple geometric shapes with a utilitarian approach to create things that are practical and maximize utility. But we have not been making objects for long compared to nature, which has been making forms for millions of years, and there is still an endless potential in how we approach materials and what we choose to surround ourselves with.
The word “material” comes from the Latin word “māteria” - wood/material/substance, from “māter” which means “mother” - the creator of life. We are made of materials, everything we surround ourselves with are materials and they are implicit in every aspect of our lives. Nordahl looks at the connection between the seemingly chaotic in natural form and references it with man-made structures and architecture to build a relationship. He wants to create a better understanding of materials, make us more aware, more curious, more respectful of them and expand our understanding beyond their conventional state of use.
