Thyra Dragseth
(She/her)
Address: Kunsthøgskolen i Oslo/ Kunstakademiet, Fossveien 24, 0551 Oslo, 0551 Oslo
Floor: 3
The studio is open Saturday 26 April from 12-17
In my artistic practice, I work interdisciplinarily with photography, video, text, sculpture, and installation, often in collaborative variations. I approach my work from an autobiographical perspective, which means I engage with the ethical boundaries that arise when depicting real people, memories, and recollections. The works can be thought of as translated pieces of reality. Processing itself becomes a central pillar in the works.
I am interested in the space between materials, between the “self” and its surroundings, in distance and connection. In this film, or membrane, something unexpected arises, without governing rules. For instance, in the distance between inside and outside; between the camera and the subject, between memory and perception; between us and them. Trauma, violence, perception, belonging, and relationships are important keywords in my practice.
Photography, video, installation, text, sculpture
Thyra Dragseth, Entrances (2024), documentation from Oslo Negativ Fotofestival, ved MELK Galleri Oslo.
´Fall´by Thyra Dragseth and Sofie Amalie Andersen, glass marbles and steel wire, 340 x 44, Pachinko Oslo, documentation shot by Istvan Virag.
Marbles (I-IV) and Marbles (Loop) by Sofie Amalie Andersen and Thyra Dragseth. 2024, Full HD, 52 min, stereo sound 50 ;24 min, part of the exhibition Marbles at Pachinko Oslo.
Cama (bed), 2021, 150 x 100 cm, Inkjet print, custom made oak frame, from the exhibition Selva Mente, at MELK gallery Oslo. Photo: Christian Tunge.
In my studio
In my studio, you will get an insight into the development of two ongoing projects. In the first, I explore the concepts of ´addiction´ and ´original sin´, primarily through artistic collaborations in the form of video, sound, installation, dance/performance, and 3D sculpture and animation. In the second project,a I am developing photographic works using both analog and digital techniques for an upcoming solo exhibition at MELK Gallery.
During a visit, you can also dive into my photographic archive or watch older video and sound works.
Planned projects and exhibitions
OBS ESSED 21.02 – 16.03
Solo exhibition at Galleri K4.
(Graduation exhibition in the MA2 program, Oslo National Academy of the Arts)
Graduation Exhibition, Group Exhibition, Kunstnernes Hus 5.07 – 22.07
(From MA2, Oslo National Academy of the Arts)
Solo Exhibition, Gallery MELK Oslo, Spring 2026
CV
Education & Courses
2023 – 2025 Master’s degree in Fine Art at the Oslo Academy of Art
2022 DKS-LAB Agder
2016 – 2019 Bachelor’s degree in Fine Art at the Oslo Academy of Art
2017 – 2018 One-year exchange at Belas Artes Lisboa, Portugal
2014 – 2016 Oslo School of Photography
Work Experience
2023 – 2024 Extended Photography, The Cultural School Bag
2021 – 2022 Parental leave
2021 – 2023 Artistic Director and Curator, Lars Lisboa
2019 – 2020 Assistant to artist Tatiana Macedo
2019 Program participant in “Film Artists Meet Film Artists.” Short Film Festival in Grimstad
2018 – 2019 Program Committee Member, Akademirommet, Kunstnernes Hus
2016 – Present Freelance photographer
2016 – 2019 Gallery assistant at MELK Gallery, Oslo
2016 – 2017 Permanent documentation for Oslo-based platform FRANK
Exhibitions & Film Screenings
2024 Entrances, represented by MELK Gallery, Oslo Negative Photo Festival
2024 MARBLES, in collaboration with Sofie Amalie Andersen, Pachinko Oslo
2024 Marbles, in collaboration with Sofie Amalie Andersen, OSTRA Practice Lisbon
2024 My Mother’s Flower Arrangements and Distant Relatives, duo exhibition with Terje Dragseth, Søgne Gamle Prestegård
2023 My Mother’s Flower Arrangements, Femidomen, Nesodden, Norway
2023 OFF THE WALL, Kösk Gallery, Oslo, Norway (Group Exhibition)
2023 Søvn er Livets Sum (Sleep is the Sum of Life), video in collaboration with Ann Cathrin November Høibo, Kristiansand Kunsthall
2022 Selva Fria, Agder Kunstsenter, Kristiansand
2021 Selva Mente, MELK Gallery, Oslo
2021 Et annet sted enn her (Another Place Than Here), KÖSK Gallery, Oslo (Group Exhibition)
2021 In Search of Dead(ly) Fires, Thirdbase, Xabregas, Lisbon, Portugal
2021 As if one nerve could sew all the parts together (Como se um nervo cosesse todas as partes), Estufa Fria, Lisbon, Portugal (Group Exhibition)
2019 HATCH, Agder Kunstsenter, Kristiansand (Group Exhibition)
2019 In Search of Dead(ly) Fires, Sol Gallery, Nexø Harbour, Bornholm, Denmark
2019 Pointed Consciousness, QB Gallery, Oslo. Curated by Behzad Farazolli
2019 Kunstakademiets Bachelorutstilling (Bachelor Exhibition of the Academy of Art), Ila Pensjonat, Oslo
2019 Travellers CAPITULO 1, PADA Studios, Auditório Municipal Augusto Cabrita, Barreiro, Lisbon
2019 Trance of Ego Arte de Cabeza / FESTIVAL DE VIDEO 60 SECONDS, MAM Chiloè (Museo de Arte Moderno Chiloè), Isla Grande de Chiloè, Chile
2018 Nice Paintings & Dead(ly) Fires, Duo Exhibition with Lena Trydal. Arteriet, Kristiansand
2017 Sculpture Contracts, with Tim Høibjerg, Agder Kunstsenter, Kristiansand, Galleri K4, Oslo, and at After School Special, Landmark, Bergen
2016 Film screening of Avlat, Grønnskjerm, Parkteateret, Oslo
2016 Qunst 25, Odderøya, Kristiansand. Curated by Agder Kunstsenter
2016 OGSÅ, Kunstplass 10, Oslo
2015 Limboland, Tor Inge Kveum. Screening of “Jeg husker men betyr det at det er sant?” (I remember, but does that mean it’s true?). Trafo Kunsthall, Heggedal
2015 Group Exhibition, Zeta Gallery, Tirana, Albania
2015 SOBJEKT, Norwegian Sculpture Association, Oslo
Public Collections
2023 Kristiansand Municipal Art Collection
2022 Sørlandet Art Museum Art Collection
Selected Grants and Awards
2023 Grant, Fund for Art and Design Students
2021 Diversity Grant, Directorate of Culture
2021 Artist Grant, Agder County Municipality
2020 COVID-19 Grant, Directorate of Culture
2020 Artist Grant, Kristiansand Municipality
2020 Project Funding, Fund for Sound and Image
2019 BKH Funds – Grant from Agder Kunstsenter