Irene Nordli unveils new figurative ceramic sculptures in Both Sides Now at HB381

HB381 presents Both Sides Now, a solo exhibition of new sculptural art works by Norwegian ceramicist Irene Nordli, who has long been celebrated for expanding the possibilities of figurative ceramics. In this latest body of work, Nordli unveils a series of intricate sculptural vessels and monumental porcelain tiles. "Exquisitely produced, her intricate sculptures turn the body of the vessel inside out, inviting viewers to contemplate both sides simultaneously: the interior and exterior, the refined and discordant, recto and verso, the structure and the open network of space within it," HB381 states in an official release.

Nordli constructs each piece by pressing clay into an archive of plaster moulds she has collected over the years—ranging from neoclassical fragments and animal figurines to anatomical casts and kitsch objects. They are sutured together into elaborate, twisting structures that often resemble skeletal forms, cavities and folds of tissue. "I consider them almost like bodies," Nordli shares in the official release, emphasising the gestural movement embedded in each vessel.

On view from November 7 – December 20, 2025, the art exhibition prominently features Nordli's various contemporary art pieces, whose fragmented silhouettes hold space for ambiguity and introspection. Once glazed, the ceramic art sculptures become dense with internal relationships—details disappear into roiling surfaces that reject the quiet harmony typically associated with the Scandinavian tradition of studio ceramic design. Instead, Nordli embraces a deliberately chaotic aesthetic that mirrors the pace and dissonance of contemporary life.

Political tensions also seep into the work: the Norway-born artist revisits early moulds from her 1990s studies at Ohio State University, including a screeching eagle that, she notes, resonates with the turbulence of current global events. "I'm building new vessels in a world that is changing so quickly... Wars are raging, and we all feel desperate. I continue to create; I have to," she says.

Balancing the intensity of the sculptures, Both Sides Now also debuts a set of monumental porcelain tiles produced in Jingdezhen, China, and glazed in Norway. Treated with painterly oxides and glazes, these works offer a visual pause—vivid swirls and gestures contained within the stillness of a flat porcelain plane. "Like portals or thresholds, they distil the movement of the three-dimensional works in whirling vortices and fluid bursts of gesture set against the empty blankness of a flat plane of porcelain," notes the New York-based art gallery.

Both Sides Now coincides with the launch of Nordli's new monograph, My Hands Just Keep Getting Bigger (arnoldsche Art Publishers; Hostler Burrows), written and edited by Gjertrud Steinsvåg.