Magnhild Opdøl.

The main body of her recent work is an investigation into the nature of death. Everything has its’ time, after death all that remains is documentation or the memory of the person, the place or object. In the past year the work has dealt with the idea of the end as the beginning, giving a new lineage to the images and objects that are created, where the past stops a new story begins.

Drawing is at the core of her practice and each drawing becomes a finished piece not just a sketch for bigger ideas, which is not to say that they do not get developed into objects. All her work is seen as a form of drawing, from sculptures to works on walls.

Even if the imagery can have dark elements the beauty in them is more evident. The materials and techniques are very intrinsic to the creation of the works. Using these materials allow the work to become all that they can be, beautiful objects in there own rights. The Scandinavian sense of humour also seeps into her work. Some pieces aim to make you smile at first but there is a twist in the tail before the ‘truth’ is revealed. In John Hutchinson’s book ‘The Bridge’ (2008) he describes beauty as

“(It is) deeper, clearer, and more substantial. Beauty is normally only revelled by an attitude of detachment and affectionate attention. It is not inherent in an object, nor is it projected. Beauty lies in oneness, shared by the maker, the object, and the viewer.”p8

Magnhild Opdøl (1980) was born in Norway, and is now living and working in Dublin. Since graduating from the National College of Art and Design, with an MFA in 2007 she has been widely exhibited both in Ireland and internationally.

Web: http://magnhildopdol.blogspot.com/