Mikael Øye Hegnar

Written By SKOG

M” by Mikael Øye Hegnar. Credit: Kunstnerforbundet

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Photocredit: Anniela Hegnar

“The motifs speak for themselves.” – Hegnar

I then asked him how he manages to select pieces for exhibitions.

He says it’s not easy—the space matters. In this case, he had just started revisiting some older works, which brought him new joy.

Pieces he hadn’t touched in a long time.
He decided to give them new life and place them in the gallery space.

I asked if there are any themes he often returns to.

He says he often gets “hang-ups”—whether it’s shapes and forms or colors and techniques.
You can see this in his work.

Finally, he shows me a large mosaic piece in progress that he’s working on with his children.

He tells me how much joy he gets from sharing experiences like this with them. We agreed that this is an amazing way to get to know the world—and how little things like smashing plates can bring so much joy to both children and adults. Charing experiences like this with his children will with no doubt influence his art in the upcoming years.

Intern Jeanne Dos Santos spoke with arist Mikael Øye Hegnar after his exhibition ¨Nothing in the Fields¨ at SKOG

How do you select works for your exhibition?
The interview with Mikael begins with him giving me a tour of his studio.
The first thing he says about how he likes to work is that he enjoys long processes.

He talks about how he enjoys exploring the materials he uses—their natural properties and the qualities he can give them. He emphasizes the importance of everything surrounding his artworks: the frames, eventual glass, and the materials behind the works as well.

One of the first things he shows me are the large crayons he’s made himself from beeswax and pigments. He then shows me the boards he draws on. Here, he melts the wax while illustrating. He then places thin Japanese paper on top and creates a print from the wax—after that, he lets the universe take over.

I ask him where does he find the inspiration to work this way.

He tells me he is very inspired by encaustic painting,
a technique that dates back to antiquity, which is what he’s currently working with.

For over sixteen years, Hegnar has worked with a wide range of materials and forms of expression, including charcoal, textile dyes, egg tempered oil paint, fresco techniques and wax.

His practice is characterized by a continuous exploration of new techniques, blending printmaking, painting, and drawing into works that are both structured and spontaneous.
Hegnar works abstractly and emphasizes freedom, not limiting his expression by time. Flexibility—both for himself and his viewers—is important to him.

Photocredit: Anniela Hegnar


Hegnar studied at Einar Granum School of Fine Art and holds a BA from the Oslo National Academy of the Arts and an MA from the Academy of Fine Art in Oslo.

Hegnar’s work has been shown in numerous exhibitions both nationally and internationally. His works have also been acquired by the Oslo Municipal Art Collection and Norges Bank.

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