Thale Blix Fastvold (b. 1978, Oslo) is a Norwegian visual artist working primarily with photography, film and performance art. Thematically within the frameworks of eco feminism, inter-species-collaborations and the more-than-human intelligence, she works with artistic research as a response to, and a way to add focus on current ecological challenges. She believes collaborations, communication and speculative storytelling is essential to envision new and more sustainable futures. Her work has been exhibited widely in Norway and internationally and her latest film “I am Hydra” (2021) was released at Kunstnernes Hus Cinema in Oslo, Norway, and has been screened in the official selection at Signes de Nuit Film festival at Cité internationale universitaire de Paris and Bogotá Experimental film festival in 2022.
She has a BA in photography from Istituto Europeo di Design in Rome, a Cand.mag (MA) in Art History and Literature from the University of Oslo, is educated a curator from Telemark University and has from 2018 been the elected Chairwoman of Forbundet Frie Fotografer
She exhibits internationally at museums like Museum of Nonconformist Art (Russia) and Museum of St Petersburg Avant-garde, artfairs like UNTITLED, ART (Miami Beach) Timebag Colombia (Medellín) and Cosmoscow (Moscow) as well as locally in Norway at Tegnerforbundet (Oslo), USF (Bergen) and Small Projects (Tromsø). Her artist book Ghost of M was launched at 57th La Biennale di Venezia at the National Pavilion of Bosnia and Herzegovina (2017).
With LOCUS she has published the books Kurator? (2009), ARTic (2015) and Arctic Hysteria – Collected stories and research through contemporary art (2016), which was launched at NY Art Book Fair, MoMA PS1 (2016).
Memberships:
– Norwegian Visual Artists Society (Norske Billedkunstnere)
– Norwegian Society of Fine Art Photographers (Forbundet Frie Fotografer)
– BOA – Billedkunstnernes i Oslo og Akershus
– Norwegian Curator Association (Norsk Kuratorforening)
– IKT – International Association of Curators of Contemporary Art
Grants/awards:
2022: Fritt Ord grant for LOCUS symposium “Kunstnerisk ytringsfrihet i Russland”
2021: Harald Szeeman IKT Grant for production of the local Oslo IKT LOCUS event “Hydrofeminism – The Interconnecting Spirit of Water”
2020: Billedkunstnernes Vederlagsfond (BKV) 1 year working grant for artists.
2019: Royal Norwegian Embassy in Moscow, travel grant for LOCUS at Cosmoscow
2019: OCA (ISGIES) LOCUS at Cosmoscow
2019: OCA (02 Int. support) travel grant for participation at IKT Congress in Miami
2019: Harald Szeeman IKT and Havana travel Grant for participation at IKT Congress in Miami and Havana
2018: OCA (ISGIES) LOCUS at San Francisco art book fair
2018: OCA (ISGIES) LOCUS at Cosmoscow
2018: OCA (ISACAT) travel grant for participation at Cassate Drone, Palermo
2018: Norwegian Government Grant for Artists (Statens Kunstnerstipend-diversestipend)
2018: OCA (ISACAT) grant for participation at IKT Congress in Gdansk & Vilnius
2018: Lithuanian Culture Institute grant for IKT postcongress in Vilnius
2017: OCA (ISACAT) supports LOCUS booklaunch at 57th La biennale di Venezia.
2017: OCA (ISGIES) Locus at Cosmoscow, Moscow
2017: Kulturrådet/ Art Council Norway and Fond for utøvende kunstnere, project support for CoSA by Locus and Laterna
2017: OCA (02 Int. Support) travel grant for exhibition at Museum of nonconformist art, St Petersburg, Russia
2016: OCA (ISGIES) book launch support for LOCUS på NY Art Book Fair, MoMA PS1
2015: OCA (ISGIES) grant for LOCUS at X-Contemporary i Miami
2014: OCA (02 Int. Support) travel grant for GREEN, at RE-Culture III, in Patras, Greece
2012: Kunstløftet/Norsk Kulturråd grant for Invisible Clarity, at Tegnerforbundet i Oslo
2011: Utenriksdepartementet, Norsk Kulturråd and Fond for utøvende kunstnere travel support for RE-ACTION in NYC.
2011: Fritt Ord grant for seminary “How Artists Work” at .NO art space in NYC
2009: Fritt Ord production grant for the book “Kurator?”
Works in Collections:
FILM | I am Hydra (2021)
“I am Hydra” is a hydrofeminist spell to end the petrocapitalist age. The film is shot in Norway and Denmark, its opening scene is from Skagen where two oceans meet (the Northern Sea and the Baltic Sea), and the film juxtaposes footage from the Norwegian oil industry with the forever self-regenerating Hydra species while referencing the mythological multi-headed Hydra-creature. The soundscape is by cello musician Einar Halle in collaboration with Gunnar Halle.
I am Hydra filmography:
- HydroSensual film screening and artist talk at Kunstnernes Hus, Oslo
Norway
November 11, 2021 - Bogotá Experimental Film Festival 2022 ,Bogotá
Colombia
August 16, 2022
Colombia premiere
Official Selection - UFFS / Universal Film Festival of Samothraki, Samothraki
Greece
August 28, 2022
Greek premiere
Penthesilea Award / Best short film by a female director - VERASHORT – Veracruz Itinerant Short Film Festival, 8th edition, Veracruz
Mexico
August 22, 2022
Official selection, Art short film - San Francisco Frozen Film Festival, 17th edition , San Francisco
United States
July 13, 2022
Official Selection - Signs de Nuit film festival, 20th edition, Cité Internationale de Paris, France, October 8th 2022, Official selection, competition “Cinema en Transgression”
HydroSensual – Film screening and artist talk at Kunstnernes Hus – Kunstnernes Hus Cinema in Oslo.
Kunstnernes Hus cinema
The film screening will be followed by an artist talk with Margarida Paiva, Thale Blix Fastvold and Tone Bjordam, moderated by Zofia Cielatkowska.
HydroSensual film screening takes the viewer on a journey from the deep down of the ocean darkness, through a spiritual spell of sea waves, into seasonal cascades of colors. It is a visually seducing experience. Pleasing frames soothing the senses change slowly according to the immersive slow-motion rhythm of water and meditative vibe. Hydro-substance dominates in all works in various forms; as a theme, background, and artistic tool. However, the impression emanating from the screen is surprisingly both fluid and solid material; as if the flat screen possessed textural qualities. The paradoxical co-existence of contrary features is a key to reading the movies, as they all present different kinds of polarities; darkness/light, Nordic Sea/Baltic Sea, life/death, water/fire, color/background. But oppositions here are not dividing or separating, on the contrary, they are rather emphasizing the intrinsic connection between various states, beings, and things; changeability in the cycle of nature. One can hear here an echo of Heraclitus’ ontology based on fire, who claimed that things exist in constant flux; they are both the same and not the same over time (και ουδέν μένει). And as an attracting aesthetics mesmerizes senses, it shouldn’t do the same with the mind; beyond each movie stands a very serious issue: overexploitation of oil industry (I am Hydra), disturbed ecosystems (Eclipse), and drastic changes in climate (Seasonal Transitions). From the pure art historical perspective, what is interesting to note, is that motives of various plants and organisms used in early (or late) avant-garde movies as decorative elements are coming back now in a different context; as clear statements asking for the attention of approaching climate catastrophe. At least art can talk about the apocalypse in a sensual and beautiful way. Text by Zofia Cielatkowska
Thale Fastvold 