Hanne Friis (b. 1972, Oslo) is educated in painting and sculpture at the Art Academy in Trondheim. The interplay between form and materiality lies at the heart of Friis’ artistic practice, where sensibility, and the language of color play a vital role. While her background includes sculpture and painting, she has embraced textile as her primary medium. Through a distinctive folding and seaming technique, she sculpts textiles by hand using a needle and nylon thread, transforming loose materials into dense forms. This time-consuming process allows her to enter a ‘stream of consciousness’, where thoughts and energies flow between the material and herself. The resulting organic, abstract shapes are intricate and associative, forming what she calls soft sculptures.
Friis works with both organic and synthetic materials, from wool, cotton, silk velvet, and viscose to plastics. Some pieces are made with natural-dyed textiles, creating muted tones, while other textiles are dyed with synthetic pigments in vibrant colours. The transformation of textile - from flexible surface to dense, sculptural form - creates an intriguing material ambiguity. The spiral shapes, craters, folds and protrusions in the works suggest connections to internal and external elements of our bodies, nature, and geology, viewed from a micro and macro perspective.
Common to all her works is their potential for growth and transformation, suggesting a loss of control in the process. Her sculptures evoke multiple layers of interpretation, inviting free associations through the senses, balancing between beauty and unease.
Friis’ works are represented in numerous public and private collections, both nationally and internationally. Among the most notable acquisitions are Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg (2024), Kunstsilo, Kristiansand (2024), Haugar Art Museum, Tønsberg (2021), Haugaland Museum, Haugesund (2021), Sørlandets Kunstmuseum, Kristiansand (2020), The Norwegian Parliament, Oslo (2019), The National Museum, Oslo (2018, 2016), The Museum of Decorative Arts (2017, 2009), The City of Oslo Art Collection (2016), KODE Art Museum, Bergen (2014, 2012), The Art Museum of Northern Norway, Tromsø (2003, 1998), and Arts Council Norway (1996).
