Irene Nordli (Norwegian, b. 1967) forms clay into convulsive vessels, complex assemblages freighted with wrinkling folds and amorphous ribbons of matter that cause them to sag, stretch, and falter. There is something akin to an oracle’s divination at work in her practice, offering up the entrails of our cultural detritus for inspection and interpretation. Exquisitely produced, her intricate sculptures turn the body inside out, inviting viewers to contemplate the unformed and reviled: intestinal coils and slabs of clay modeled as if they were composed of the interior membranes of the body.
Nordli’s porcelain vases and closed ceramic forms are mottled with an array of copper-rich flambé glazes; their pristine exterior surfaces, stained with shades of oxblood, reveal hollow cavities and viscera. Red sang-de-boeuf glazes pool against bone-white porcelain. The flecks of crimson appear to flay the objects, producing a hybrid image somewhere between ceremonial vase and modern body horror. As such, they offer a grisly foil to the minimalist simplicity of mid-century design.
Nordli holds degrees from Akershus University College and the National College of Art and Design. Her work has been exhibited widely throughout Norway and abroad, including in numerous public commissions for the Arendal Kultur og Rådhus, Søgne City Hall, Mesterfjellet School, and Biri Omsorgssenter. Awards include the BKH Kunsthåndverk Prize, the Statens Garantiinntekt, the Norwegian Council of Culture, and a Five-Year Scholarship from the Norsk Kulturråd. Recent solo exhibitions include Kunsthall Grenand, Tjørnedala Konsthall, Format Oslo, and the NNKS Nordnorsk Kunstnersenter.
EDUCATION
1996
National College of Art and Design, Bergen, Norway
1993
Exchange Program, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
1991
Akershus University College, Department of Design and Product Design, Oslo, Norway
1990
The Aegean Center for the Arts, Paros, Greece
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2024
Arkanum, Kunsthall Grenland, Porsgrunn, Norway
2023
Into the Woods, Tjørnedala Konsthall, Österlän, Sweden
2022
The Pillars, Format Oslo, Oslo, Norway
2019
Keramiske Oppløsninger [Ceramic Solutions], Kunstnerforbundet, Oslo, Norway
Vaser og Akvareller [Vases and Watercolors], RAM Galleri, Oslo, Norway
2018
Behold the Sea, Stormen, Bodø, Norway
2017
The Porcelain Room, NNKS Nordnorsk Kunstnersenter, Svolvær, Norway
2016
The Porcelain Room, Galleri Format, Oslo, Norway
2012
I Find It Harder and Harder to Live Up to My Blue China, Galleri Format, Oslo, Norway
2011
Bergen Timeline, Galleri Format, Bergen, Norway
Perspective China: Clay (e)scapes, Porsgrunn Kunstforening, Porsgrunn, Norway
Beijing Art Fair, Beijing, China
2010
Ting forteller [Things Speak], Lillehammer Art Museum, Lillehammer, Norway
2007–2010
You Can’t Hold Back Spring [Touring exhibition], The National Museum, Oslo, Norway
2009
Porselensfeber [Porcelain Fever], Eskilstuna Konstmuseum, Eskilstuna, Sweden
2008
Porselensfeber [Porcelain Fever], Sandnes Kunstforening, Sandnes, Norway
2007
Retrospektiv, Porsgrunn Kunstforening, Porsgrunn, Norway
You Can’t Hold Back Spring, Porsgrunn Kunstforening, Porsgrunn, Norway
2005
Ikke Gråt om det er Vinter og det Snør [Don't Cry if it's Winter and Snowing], Møre og Romsdal Kunstsenter, Molde, Norway
2002
Deerman og SuperVenus, Kunstnersenteret i Oppland, Lillehammer, Norway
Kenguland [Kangaroo Country], Hå Gamle Prestegård, Nærbø, Norway
Bergen Kunstforening, Bergen, Norway
Østfold Art Center, Fredrikstad, Norway
2001
Kunstnerforbundet, Oslo, Norway
Galleri UKS, Oslo, Norway
1999
Fylkesgalleriet i Sogn og Fjordane, Førde, Norway
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2024
Irene Nordli and Jenny Mäki Invitert 7: Brann [Invite 7: Fire], KRAFT Center for Contemporary Crafts, Bergen, Norway
2023
1400°C, Bernardeaud Foundation, Limoges, France
2022
Afterglow, Kunsthall Grenland, Porsgrunn, Norway; CLAY Museum of Ceramic Art Danmark, Middelfart, Denmark; Gustavsbergs Porslinsmuseum, Gustavsberg, Sweden
Irene Nordli and Mingshu Li: Why Do Europeans Put Plates on their Wall?, Format, Oslo, Norway
2021
Made in Ringebu, Trevet – Ringebu Prestegård, Ringebu, Norway
Mindre Enn [Less Than], Hå Gamle Prestegård, Nærbø, Norway
Vestlandsutstillingen [The Western Norway Exhibition], Ålesund, Øystese, Bergen, and Stavanger, Norway
2020–2022
Nomad Art Fair, Galleri Format, St. Moritz, Switzerland
2019
Figurer och Figuriner [Figures and Figurines], Rian Designmuseum/Falkenberg Hembygdsmuseum, Falkenberg, Sweden
Chart Art Fair, Köppe Contemporary Objects, Copenhagen, Denmark
Nomad Ar Fair, Galleri Format, Venice, Italy
2018
Hjemmets Skatter [The Treasures of the Home], Blaafarveværket, Modum, Norway
The Only Way Is Up, Varberg Konsthall, Varberg, Sweden
2017
Present, Bomuldsfabriken, Arendal, Norway
Rotfylling [Root Canal], Annual Exhibition of Norwegian Craft, Nordenfjeldske Kunstindustrimuseum, Trondheim, Norway
2015
Årsutstillingen [The Annual Exhibition], Oslo, Norway
Beyond G(l)aze, KODE, Bergen, Norway
Den Eneste Veien er Frem [The Only Way Is Forward], Stavanger Kunsthall, Stavanger, Norway
Re: Reanimate, Repair, Meld & Mend, Bluecoat Display Centre, Liverpool, UK
Transformator [Transformer], Bomuldsfabriken Kunsthall, Arendal, Norway; Hydrogenfabrikken Kunsthall, Fredrikstad, Norway; Format Oslo, Oslo, Norway
Zwinger und Ich [Zwinger and Me], Bomuldsfabriken, Arendal, Norway
SOFA Chicago, Chicago, IL
2014
Beyond G(l)aze, Jinji Lake Art Museum, Suzhou, China
Tendendser [Trends], Galleri F-15, Moss, Norway
2013
Revelations: Revealing Thoughts, Grand Palais, Paris, France
Third European Triennale for Ceramics and Glass, Mons, Belgium
2012
Superwhite, Galerie Collection, Paris, France
2011
Bergen Timeline, Galleri Format, Bergen, Norway
Collect, Saatchi Gallery, London, UK
Fortællespor/New Nordic Narratives, CLAY Museum of Ceramic Art Danmark, Middelfart, Denmark
Graft, Galleri Format, Oslo, Norway
Paradigm [Touring exhibition], Greenland, Hungary, France, Belgium, Ireland, Slovakia, South Korea, and Iceland
Porcelain Fever, Beijing Art Fair, Beijing, China
Thing Tang Trash, The West Norway Museum of Decorative Art, Bergen, Norway
2010
Kvitt Vilt, Rauland Kunstforering, Rauland, Norway
Le Cru et le Cuit/Det Rå og Det Kokte [The Raw and the Cooked], Galerie Favardin & de Verneuil, Paris,France
2009
Good Night: Surrealism in Norwegian Art, Stenersen Museum, Oslo, Norway
2008
Figurasjoner [Figurations], Norsk Billedhoggerforening, Oslo, Norway
Skulpturbiennalen [Sculpture Biennial], Norsk Billedhoggerforening, Vigeland Museum, Oslo, Norway
2007
Illuminations, Gustavsberg Konsthall, Gustavsberg, Sweden
Present, Bomuldsfabrikken, Arendal, Norway
2005
Kyss Frosken [Kiss the Frog], The National Museum, Oslo, Norway
Norske Bilder [Norwegian Images], Rådhusgalleriet, Oslo, Norway
Contemporary Craft Biennale, Röda Sten, Gothenburg, Sweden
2004–2009
Trolls: Figures in Norwegian Contemporary Ceramics, Poland, China, South Korea, Ireland, U.S., Singapore, Germany
2003
Collector’s Item/Privat Eie [Private Property], Galleri F15, Jeløya, Norway
Draumkvede [Dream Quince], Cultuurcentrum Scharpoord, Knokke-Heist, Belgium
Galerie de Compagnie, Dordrecht, The Netherlands
2002
Flair, Kristiansand Kunstforening, Kristiansand, Norway
Keramik aus Norwegen [Ceramics from Norway], Galerie Handwerk, München, Germany
Stille før Stormen [The Calm Before the Storm], Jeløya, Norway
The Sixth Element, Latvian Center for Contemporart Art, Riga, Latvia
White Light District, Finsk-Norsk Kulturinstistutt, Oslo, Norway
Galleri Nørby, Copenhagen, Denmark
2001
DesignMensch, Museum für Kunst und Gerwebe, Hamburg, Germany
2000
Flyvende Tallerkener og Andre Fat [Flying Saucers and Other Dishes], Bomuldsfabriken, Arendal, Norway
Only Human, Crafts Council, London, UK
Tendenser [Trends], Galleri F-15, Jeløya, Norway
1999
Ceramic Millennium Symposium, Arti et Amicitiae, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Farbrikkmiks [Colorful Mix], Telemark Kunstnersenter, Porsgrunn, Norway
Kulturrådets Innkjøp 1997–99 [Arts Council Purchases 1997–99], Oslo Kunstforening, Oslo, Norway
Ornament Is a Crime, Akershus Kunstnersenter, Lillestrøm, Norway
Present, Bomuldsfabriken, Arendal, Norway
The Misfits, Trønderlag Kunstnersenter, Trondheim, Norway
1998
Great Things from Somewhere, Galleri Ram, Oslo, Norway
Mitt Er Ditt [Mine Is Yours], Rogaland Kunstnersenter, Stavanger, Norway
1997
Kulturrådets Innkjøp 1995–96 [Arts Council Purchases 1995–96], Oslo Kunstforening, Oslo, Norway
Proselen på Nye Eventyr, Hordaland Art Center, Bergen, Norway
Statens 109 Kunstutstilling [State 109 Art Exhibition], Høstutstillingen, Kunstnernes Hus, Oslo, Norway
Tallinn Applied Art Triennial, Tallinn, Estonia
Galleri Hvita Havet, Stockholm, Sweden
1996
Exit, Vestlandske Kunstindustrimuseum, Bergen, Norway
Great Things from Somewhere, Bomuldsfabrikken, Arendal, Norway
Great Things from Somewhere, Galleri Lista Fyr, Lista, Norway
COMMISSIONS
2021
Birisvanen [Biri Swans], Biri Omsorgssenter, Gjøvik, Norway
Når Verden Er Ny [When the World Is New], Rolvsøy Barnehage, Fredrikstad, Norway
2020
Vårda: Glacing a Stone and Building a Beacon, Tvedestrand High School, Tvedestrand, Norway
2018
Transform, Harstad Nye Skole, Harstad, Norway
2017
Hellemyrsdyret, Hellemyr Flerbrukshall, Kristiansand, Norway
2015
That Was the River, This Is the Sea, Bodø High School, Bodø, Norway
2014
Eggevokteren [The Egg Watcher], Mesterfjellet School, Lavrik, Norway
Jorid, Haukerød Elementary School, Sandefjord, Norway
Søgne City Hall, Søgne, Norway
2011
39 Nye Liv [39 New Lives], Follo Folkehøgskole, Vestby, Norway
2010
Kengukamp [Kangaroo Camp], Telemark District Hospital, Skien, Norway
Månelyst, Trondheim, Norway
Månelyst #2, Halden Prison, Norway
Reasons to Hang Around, Lillestrøm, Norway
2009
Bjørnstjerne [Bear Star], Korsgård Public School, Askim, Norway
2006
Don’t Be a Stranger, Asker Kulturhus, Akser, Norway
Englevakt [Angel Guard], Statistisk Sentralbyrå, Kongsvinger, Norway
2005
Figurines, Arendal Kultur og Rådhus, Arendal, Norway
2004
Boxing Kangaroos, Gasco, Kopervik, Norway
2003
Play With My Heart, Mariner of the Seas, Royal Caribbean
The Misfits, Runni Middle School, Årnes, Norway
AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIPS
2017
Kunsthåndverk Prize, The BKH Relief Fund for Visual Artists
2013
The Wallonia-Brussels Federation Prize at the European Triennial of Ceramics and Glass
2010
Statens Garantiinntekt (GI)
2005–2009
Five-Year Scholarship, Norsk Cultural Council
2002
Sleipnir Travel Grant, NIFCA Nordic Institute for Contemporary Art
2001
One-Year Scholarship, Kunstnernes Relief Fund
2000
One-Year Scholarship, Norges Artist Council
Oslo City Cultural Scholarship
1997–1998
Norwegian Council of Culture, Exhibition Scholarships
The National Scholarship for Young Artists
1997
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Travel and Study Scholarship
Scholarship, Vederlagsfondet
