Nina Malterud

Norway
B. 1951

‘My works refer to historical forms within ceramics such as tiles and dishes, however with more focus on expression than function. I work with low fired earthenware with slips and glazes. In the later years I have refined processes of reglazing and refiring several times, facilitating interaction between layers of glazes for unpredictable results. Through this approach, objects can be reformulated countless times. Cracks and gaps in the glaze can be fatal errors, yet they can also become features in a complex and mercurial idiom. Some surfaces remind me of phenomena in nature but I do not intend to make representations. I strive for an expression that has physical presence yet is without narrative.’

‘My works refer to historical forms within ceramics such as tiles and dishes, however with more focus on expression than function. I work with low fired earthenware with slips and glazes. In the later years I have refined processes of reglazing and refiring several times, facilitating interaction between layers of glazes for unpredictable results. Through this approach, objects can be reformulated countless times. Cracks and gaps in the glaze can be fatal errors, yet they can also become features in a complex and mercurial idiom. Some surfaces remind me of phenomena in nature but I do not intend to make representations. I strive for an expression that has physical presence yet is without narrative.’

Nina Malterud was educated at the National College of Art and Design in Oslo [1971-1974] and has been working with ceramics since 1975, in Oslo and later in Bergen. From 1994 she was professor in ceramics at the Bergen National Academy of the Arts (KHiB) and 2002-2010 she was rector at the same institution.

She has had a number of solo exhibitions and has participated in group exhibitions since 1976. She has completed public commissions with large pots and tiles and she is represented in all major public collections in Norway. She was awarded a comprehensive retrospective solo exhibition at KODE Art Museum in Bergen, Norway in 2022.

Nina Malterud lives and works in Bergen, Norway.

WORK AVAILABLE