Anne Helen Mydland (1971, Norway) is based in Bergen. She completed her MA in Ceramics at Bergen Academy of Art and Design in the year 2000. Mydland is Professor in Clay and Ceramics and artistic research leader at Department of Fine art, Bergen Academy of Art and Design, as well as co-leader of Topographies of the Obsolete along with Neil Brownsword.
Anne Helen Mydland holds an MA degree from Bergen Academy of Arts and Design (2000), and has since worked as both visual artist, curator, lecturer and teacher. She is the co-founder and member of the artist and curator group TEMP. Mydland has been widely exhibited both nationally and internationally and has been purchased by the leading institutions such as National Museum of contemporary art in Norway(Museet for samtidskunst), Norsk Kulturråd and VK.
Mydland works with a basis in clay and ceramic material, in a contemporary art practice. She works with installation, sculpture, (ceramic) print and site-specific projects, specialised in the use of ready-mades and object culture. She also has collaborative work with industry, e.g. Bratsberg Teglverk (brickfacotry) and Porsgrunn Porcelain Factory.
Areas of Expertise
Object/thing/commodity:
Culture/history/archive/politics/theory
Allegory/Still-life=rhopography
Mydland's artistic research is questioning the object's role, status and value. Methodicly juxtaposing the objects private and public history, different hierarchies of value and class become evident. In montages and installations both using found objects and modelled sculptural elements she is exploring the different ways we use and relate to objects, both as cultural signifiers and personal souvenirs.
"The object as storyteller has been a recurring feature of my work for several years. I have focused in particular on figurines/porcelain figures and have used ready-mades (china in particular) used in everyday settings. Porcelain and ceramic is closely linked to the family's stories through its use at family gatherings and home decoration. I explore the objects narrative potential with combinations of concepts and theory, mainly; religious: the symbols of the sacred, souvenirs and fetishism."
Read more about Anne Helen Mydland at khib.no
