Nina Malterud

Nina Malterud (b. 1951) has worked as an artist since 1975, first in Oslo and later in Bergen. She was educated at the State School of Crafts and Design in Oslo from 1971 to 1974. From 1994 she served as Professor of Ceramics at the Bergen National Academy of the Arts, and from 2002 to 2010 she was Rector at the same institution. Subsequently, she has held various positions as a senior advisor, particularly in relation to artistic research and artistic PhD programs, at art academies in Bergen and Oslo, as well as at the Faculty of Fine Art, Music and Design at the University of Bergen. In 2022 she presented a major solo exhibition at Kode in Bergen. The same year, she was awarded the Ulrik Henriksen Honorary Prize from the Visual Artists’ Relief Fund and was appointed Knight, First Class, of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav for her contributions to art education and her artistic practice. I work with earthenware, referencing historical forms within ceramics such as tiles and plates, with a focus on expression rather than function. In recent years, I have increasingly explored the painterly possibilities of glaze and clay, incorporating unexpected effects from multiple firings. In this way, the works can be reformulated countless times. In this process, cracks and holes in the glaze are not necessarily flaws, but offer new expressive possibilities. Some surfaces may evoke natural phenomena, but my intention is not to represent. I seek expressions with a physical presence, without narrative