Nordic Noir #I Painting

Norwegian abstract artist Marit Geraldine Bostad takes viewers on a journey to inner realms, erasing the line between the conscious and the subconscious. Drawing inspiration from psychology, her canvases become tangible manifestations of her psyche and present a way to disconnect from an externally controlled world through pure abstraction. Breaking away from the constraints of imposed themes and values in figurative representation, Geraldine describes universal archetypes that transcend the particular conditions of her personal life. This sets the scene for the audience to bring their meaning to her work. Geraldine’s technique involves the direct application of acrylic paint, using tools that seldom include a paintbrush. By combining tone tone-to-tone pastels with sparks of fluorescence, the artist carves out a distinctive approach to traditional Nordic Colour Theory. Marit Geraldine originally was an Art Director, with 10 years of experience working on visual projects in film, illustration and concept building in Oslo. Alongside her commercial work, she has practised painting, as a way to release and unwind. In 2009 Geraldine left her career in Art Direction to pursue her painting full-time. She has exhibited her work in Oslo, Dubai, London, New York and LA - and has received substantial acclaim from curators as well as galleries throughout Europe and the US, for her vibrant, strong and contemporary abstract paintings. In April 2017 Rebecca Wilson, Chief Curator and VP, Art Advisory at Saatchi Art picked Marit Geraldine as one of her "4 Must-See Artists" at TOAF London, out of 130 emerging artists. In 2020 Marit Geraldine was honoured to be among the 30 shortlisted artists chosen for the Ashurst Emerging Artist’s Prize in London. In May 2022, Geraldine was the face of the Affordable Art Fair Hampstead fair campaign, which could be seen all over London. She continues to work with galleries and institutions in London, New York, Dubai and Paris. In Norway, the artist recently had three major solo shows with KHÅK Kunsthall and Gulden Kunstverk (2021-2023) ARTIST STATEMENT: Through a series of paintings, Marit Geraldine Bostad investigates the themes central to her artistic research, the inner psyche, memories and human interaction. She blends her colours by pouring paint directly onto the canvas using various tools, seldom using the paintbrush - to create diverse, versatile effects with broad expressive strokes.