Gry Hege Rinaldo

Gry Hege Rinaldo (born 27.01.1974) is educated at Rogaland Art School and holds a BA (Hons) Degree in Fine Art, Painting, from Slade School of Fine Art, University College of London.

Through her years as an artist she has exhibited in numerous solo shows, in Norway and abroad. Among them at Gallery NB (Copenhagen), Gallery NBex (Viborg, DK), Gallery Gann (Sandnes, NO), Hå gamle prestegård, The Drawers Association (Oslo), Haugesund Art Gallery (NO) and University College of London. Upcoming exhibitions: Solo show at Haugesund Art Association (NO, 2020) and group exhibition at KinoKino, Sandnes (NO, 2021).

Rinaldo has also a long list of representations in group shows from mayor galleries in Norway, Denmark and England, and is purchased by The Danish National Bank, Stavanger Art Museum (NO), the Art Collection of Haugesund Art Gallery (NO) and University College of London´s Art Collection.

The artist is known for her outstanding skills of drawing and painting, often of people in vulnerable situations, pictured so close it feels almost invading. Her pictures reveals the artist’s mastery of perspective, and her subtitle knowledge of anatomy. In some of her later works Rinaldo has changed her motifs from the human body to forests, thus transferring her interest in the human psychology to the animated nature. Still, the human body and how physical appearance reflects the inner self, is her main source of interest.

WORK

Gry Hege Rinaldo uses the human body and mental conditions as theme. She investigates the vulnerability of existence, her works are both breathtakingly beautiful and a bit disturbing at the same time. Many of her most resent motives derive from forests and nature, but their underlying theme are still rooted in psychology. In these works, Rinaldo wishes to bring about an underlying, almost unnoticeable state of someting frightening, someting insecure and “invalid”.

The idea is inspired by Sigmund Freud’s theories of “Das Unheimlichen”. Rinaldo is looking for ways to express this in her drawings, this very unclear and hard to define feeling and mood. She continues to chase, and has several ideas she may investigate with the forest and nature as backdrop.

Rinaldo works with photographs taken by herself, as a starting point. The photos she has used up till now is taken in the Bavarian forests in Germany.

The term “unheimlich” is not easily translated into a specific English word. However, “unheimlich” relates to an entire spectrum of terms, such as scary, unrecognizable, unsafe, general discomfort, something dark, a sense of feeling that something terrible is about to happen.

“Unheimlich” also relates to situations where there are recognizable elements or feelings, mixed with elements or sensations of something that “sticks” out. Something that does not belong among the recognizable. The term “unheimlich” may relate to a feeling of Deja Vu. That´s why Rinaldo works with drawings of forests. Because the forest, for her, holds an infinity of elements in its chaotic presence. She will, as a consequense, in her drawings include something unrecognizable, something strange. It may be an object, a shape, a color, a shadow that differs from the norm. Something that lies in the shadows, hidden or forgotten. An elements that can not be comprehended as something understandable and meaningful.

Rinaldo wants to induce discomfort.
Discomfort in nature.