Artist and gallery owner Noris Maria Dias. Left: Skjæra. Right: A tree is a tree is a tree.
Gallery of the Month, Norway
A joyous gallery in Oslo In the middle of Oslo’s swankiest neighbourhood, Frogner, you will find a small and intimate art gallery, which is a bit different from the rest. Galleri Noris is a joyous meeting place for visual art, music, community engagement and debate, showcasing works by owner Noris Maria Dias, as well as artists from Norway and beyond. By Ingrid Opstad | Photos: Galleri Noris
“When I opened the gallery, I put a large sign outside saying ‘useless art’, which provoked a few different reactions from people. I wanted whoever walking past to stop and think, and hopefully wander inside to share their view on the statement because they were curious or passionate about art,” says Noris Maria Dias. The artist and gallery owner has always been 116 | Issue 132 | January 2020
fascinated with critical thinking, doing things a bit differently and spreading the joy of life and freedom. Her multicultural and multidisciplinary background has played a big role in her artistic life.
Artistic nomad life “I was born and raised in Brazil during the military regime, which made me an
anti-authoritarian, provoked by dictatorship and patriarchy; I’m a social idealist and rebel,” she explains. Dias started painting as a 14-year-old and frequented the studio of Nesmaro, an appreciated impressionist and a teacher at the Academy of Fine Arts in her hometown. When she turned 18, she travelled to Norway, Italy and France, where she studied medicine, psychotherapy and traditional Chinese medicine. She practised as a psychotherapist in all these countries. Noris later became an art therapist and created a project in Sweden where she worked with children with post-traumatic