Many of her subjects are turned inward, absorbed in quiet concentration. Sometimes we encounter a moment of intimacy, such as a mother helping her child with a mitten. The colour palette consists of earth tones and muted hues, which gives the paintings a certain sense of nostalgia. It is almost as if the paintings are scenes from the point of view of a child. While not directly inspired by Svalheim’s own childhood memories, the paintings feel as though they might be echoes of our own memories.

These works are partly painted by first drawing the contours and main lines of the figure’s form with dark, descriptive brushstrokes, and then modeling the light and shadow of the subjects with direct, expressive strokes of paint. In a simple and precise way, a brushstroke catches light and articulates an upper lip beneath the shadow of a nose. Or she lets loose, quick brushstrokes describe the fabric of the shirt, which together with some form-defining painted contour lines give us an understanding of the person's body and sitting position beneath the folds of the shirt

She has a fresh and loose painting style, with seemingly rapid brushstrokes. At the same time, one senses that the paintings have been worked on over time, looked at, considered, nurtured. From the inward gazes of most of her subjects, one can almost sense Svalheim’s own concentration and presence throughout the working process. Above all, the paintings testify to the artist’s clear joy in painting. This exhibition is supported by the Relief Fund for Visual Artists (Bildende Kunstnernes Hjelpefond).

Hilde Svalheim (f. 1963) lives and works in Ekely in Oslo. After completing her education at the Oslo National Academy of Fine Arts, she has had solo exhibitions at Galleri LNM, BOA, Kunstnerforbundet, and Trafo Kunsthall among others. Her work has also been shown in group exhibitions at institutions such as the Norwegian Museum of Contemporary Art, the Henie Onstad Art Centre, and Kunstnernes Hus over the past three decades. Svalheim’s works are held in several private and public collections, including the Norway’s National Museum of Art, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Arts Council Norway