Marte Johnslien (1977) is a visual artist and researcher who lives and works in Oslo, Norway. She is an associate professor in Ceramic Art at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts, department of Art and Craft, and holds a PhD in artistic research. She is the PI of the research project TiO2: The Materiality of White (MoW), and Co-PI of TiO2: How Norway Made the World Whiter (NorWhite), in collaboration with art and architecture historian Ingrid Halland (UiB).
Process, perception and materiality are keywords in her practice. Her projects are often anchored in historical research and material investigations. The project White to Earth (2020) investigated the materiality of titanium dioxide, and how the white pigment travels our systems seemingly invisibly. The work consisted of two series of ceramic sculptures and a photo-illustrated book. The project formed the basis for the current collaborative research projects TiO2: MoW/NorWhite. The aim of the projects is to write the critical history of the white pigment based on archive studies, material investigations and inter-disciplinary collaborations.
Marte Johnslien’s work has been included in exhibitions at the Norwegian National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, The Astrup Fearnley Museum of Art, Norway, Museum of Contemporary Art in Antwerp, and in the 12th Havana Biennial in Cuba. She has held solo exhibitions in Lillehammer Art Museum, Henie Onstad Art Center, Galleri Riis and Kristiansand Kunsthall, Norway. She is the recipient of the Einar Granum Art Award (2012). Her work is included in the collections of the Norwegian National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, KODE, Bergen, Henie Onstad Art Center, Sørlandet Art Museum and Lillehammer Art Museum.
Marte Johnslien is represented by Galleri Riis, Norway and FOLD, London.
For more information on Johnslien’s research project please visit Tio2project.no