OSL contemporary (NO)

OSL contemporary was established in 2011 by Emilie Magnus. Located in a former fire station in Oslo’s West End, the gallery has since developed an extensive program, currently representing twenty-three emerging and established artists encompassing a diverse range of disciplines.

Haxthausens gate 3
0263 Oslo
Norway
(+47) 23 27 06 76

info@oslcontemporary.com
oslcontemporary.com

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Curated for
CHART

For CHART 2024, OSL contemporary will present an art salon featuring works by a selection of 13 artists, each thoughtfully chosen to demonstrate and celebrate the strong and diverse landscape of the Norwegian art scene today. Showcasing a variety of sizes and techniques, the presentation will convey the diversity of artists the gallery represents. Participating artists include: A K Dolven, Ane Mette Hol, Ane Graff, Ann Iren Buan, Ask Bjørlo, Bjarne Bare, Dag Erik Elgin, Emily Gernild, Ragna Bley, Sofie Berntsen, Thorbjørn Sørensen, Vanessa Baird and Vibeke Slyngstad.

Vanessa Baird (NO)

Vanessa Baird is one of the most distinct voices in Norwegian contemporary art. Baird’s work is storytelling of a kind that is both potently provocative and emphatically individual. Her work draws on a wide range of references from her own lived experiences, as well as from Scandinavian folklore and literature. Whether surreal or narrative, her intense and detailed drawings are often perceived as controversial, regularly commenting on contemporary political and social affairs and observations from personal domestic realities.

Vanessa Baird (b. 1963, Oslo; NO) lives and works in Oslo, Norway. She was educated at the National Academy of Arts, Oslo, Norway and the Royal College of Art, London, UK. Recent solo exhibitions include: Kunsthall Stavanger (Stavanger; NO) (2021) Drawing Room (London; UK) (2021), KODE (Bergen; NO) (2018–19), OSL contemporary (Oslo; NO) (2018), Kunstnernes Hus (Oslo; NO) (2017) and Göteborg Konstmuseum (Gothenburg; SE) (2014). Baird’s work is represented in the Prints and Drawing Collection of the British Museum (London; UK) as well as key Norwegian collections, such as The National Museum of Norway (Oslo; NO), Stavanger Kunstmuseum (Stavanger; NO) and KODE (Bergen; NO).

Untitled

Watercolour on 640 g Arches paper
2022

Courtesy of the artist and OSL contemporary

Vanessa Baird

2022

Courtesy of the artist and OSL contemporary

Vanessa Baird

2022

Courtesy of the artist and OSL contemporary

Vanessa Baird

2022

Courtesy of the artist and OSL contemporary

Vanessa Baird, You are something else (2017), I don't want to be anywhere, but here I am (2015), Installation view

Courtesy of the artist and OSL contemporary

Ragna Bley (SE)

Ragna Bley is considered to be one of Norway’s most interesting artists. Her oeuvre comprises large-scale paintings primarily, but also encompasses sculpture, performance and language-based works. Bley finds inspiration in areas of life ranging from Science-Fiction to the natural world to biopolitics. Underpinning this eclecticism and Bley’s tendency towards experimentation is a remarkable degree of technical skill, honed through education at the Oslo Academy of Fine Arts and the Royal College of Art in London.

Ragna Bley (b. 1986, Uppsala; SE) lives and works in Oslo, Norway. Recent solo exhibitions include The Inner Island, Villa Carmignac, Porquerolles Island, France, 2023. The Infinite Conversation, Beijing Biennial, Beijing, China, 2022, ‘Stranger’s Eye’ Kunstnernes Hus, 2022, ‘Viridan Land’, Pilar Correa’s Gallery, 2022, The Hour of Reckoning, Henie Onstad Art Center, Bærum, 2021, ‘Serrated Tougues’, OSL contemporary, 2021, 'Soundings’ Downs & Ross, New York, 2021, and in 2020 Malmö Kunsthall. In August 2024, she will be presenting her next solo exhibition with OSL contemporary. Bley has participated in several group exhibitions in 2024, such as 'After the Sun - Forecast from the North' at Buffalo AKG Art Museum in Buffalo, New York and 'Abstraction (re)creation - 20 under 40' at Le Consortium in Dijon, France.

Citizen of Glass

Acrylic on canvas
2022

Courtesy of the artist and OSL contemporary

Stranger's Eye

Installation View
2022

Courtesy of the artist and OSL contemporary

Thorbjørn Sørensen (NO)

Thorbjørn Sørensen works in the tension between naturalistic watercolors and figurative works over to fully abstract paintings. From his studies to the present day, the search for painterly possibilities has been an ongoing motivation. Motives are often inspired by day-to-day life and overlooked daily scenes in nature and objects around us. The works are distinctly relaxed and playful but do at the same time contain strong subtle references to the history of painting.

Thorbjørn Sørensen (b. 1961, Oslo; NO) lives and works in Oslo and was educated at the National College of Arts and Crafts (1982-1986) and the Academy of Fine Art, Oslo (1987 - 1991). Recent solo exhibitions include: A Warm Afternoon OSL contemporary, Oslo (2022); Dropsfabrikken, Trondheim (2020); Kunstnerforbundet (2009). He has participated in a number of group exhibitions, such as; Bomuldsfabriken, Arendal (2015); Stenersenmuseet, Oslo (2014), Henie Onstad Kunstsenter, Høvikodden (2007); Carnegie Art Award (2007-08); Lillehammer Kunstmuseum (2000); Trondheim Kunstmuseum (2000); Bergen Kunstmuseum (2000); Museum of Contemporary Art, Vilnius (1994). He is represented in the collections of British Museum, The National Museum, Astrup Fearnley Museet, The Arts Council Norway.