Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Norway’s Buzzing Art Scene
Art not art, DGA print.
Dog with man.
Low-fat milk, DGA print.
Urban art in the heart of Oslo Right in the heart of the buzzing Grünerløkka area of Oslo, you will find Line Marsdal in Purenkel galleri, a combined art studio and gallery, surrounded by genre-defying pieces of art. Combining new with old, and playing with different materials and directions, Marsdal is a breath of fresh air on the art scene in her native Norway.
to have a look around. You can browse through the stacks of paintings leaning against the walls, maybe buy a piece or two, or just have a chat with Marsdal about what it is you are looking at.
By Alyssa Nilsen | Photos: Line Marsdal
Born and raised in Oslo, Marsdal thrives on the city vibe – the ever-changing neighbourhoods, the pulsing streets, the creative crowds and the never-ending inspirations right outside her door. Intent on showing that urban art encompasses so much more than just street art and graffiti, she has never cared for borders or rules but uses them as a starting point to get to somewhere completely different and unexpected. Aside from painting, DGA – short for Digital Graphic Art – is one of Marsdal’s favoured techniques. An element, such as a person or object, is painted or cut out in lino and printed, then photographed and loaded into a computer. The images are then used as one or more detail layers of a 20- to 30-layer piece already being 48 | Issue 113 | June 2018
painted digitally. The finished print is an intriguing and complex mixture of all the different techniques.
Should you wish to create art yourself, Marsdal also organises workshops in her gallery, letting people try their hand at monoprint and image transfer.
A subtle sense of humour plays a big part in Marsdal’s work. Her pieces tell the stories of people or animals she has seen on her walks around town, or ideas she turns into visual expressions, and she likes to make people smile. “Sometimes the motif itself will make them smile,” she says, “or sometimes they will look at a piece, and then they start laughing when reading the title of it.”
The phone booth.
She finds that art is something that should be accessible for everybody, and her gallery, conveniently located next to Oslo’s most famous coffee shop, is open and welcoming to anyone who wishes
The tram.
Web: www.linemarsdal.no and www.purenkel.no Instagram: @linemarsdal and @purenkel_galleri