Henrik Aarrestad Uldalen (born 1986 in South Korea, but raised in Asker

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

) is a Norwegian oil

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

. Uldalen is a self-taught artist whose work includes classic

figurative painting Figurative art, sometimes written as figurativism, describes artwork (particularly paintings and sculptures) that is clearly derived from real object sources and so is, by definition, representational. The term is often in contrast to abstract a ...

. He paints people in oils and then pieces these images in impossible scenes such as climbing upside down spiral staircases, or falling from tilted buildings. His work has been described as photosurrealism. Although he uses a various range of models in his work, he states that they are all representations of himself and his state of mind. When he sets up the painting he tries to get the model to evoke the same emotions that he is going through at the moment. His works serve as a diary that records his different states of being from different moments in time.

Paintguide

Uldalen and co-founders set-up Paintguide in January 2014. The project started as a forum for artists from all over the world to share their favourite artworks and inspirations to the public, the project took form as a

website A website (also written as a web site) is a collection of web pages and related content that is identified by a common domain name and published on at least one web server. Examples of notable websites are Google Search, Google, Facebook, Amaz ...

, and

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

. Following a highly successful takeover of the Paintguide account by

Alex Kanevsky Alex Kanevsky (born 1963) is a painter currently based in Tamworth, New Hampshire. His works combine abstraction and figuration in multilayered portraits that capture movement and the constant flow of time, resisting adherence to a single moment ...

, Uldalen found himself inundated with requests for Paintguide takeovers from other like-minded, social media savvy artists. Contributed by over 60 artists and painters, the Paintguide’s following grew exponentially, and currently stands over 329,000 followers. In November 2015, the Paintguide project took form as a pop-up exhibition at

Unit London Unit London is a contemporary art gallery based at 3 Hanover Square, Westminster, Hanover Square in Mayfair, London, with a secondary location, The Stables, in Covent Garden. It was founded by two young artists, Joe Kennedy and Jonny Burt, in 201 ...

gallery. Showing over 60 artists from their Paintguide

account, such as Jeremy Geddes, Jeremy Mann, Martin Wittfooth, Greg “Craola” Simkins and Dan Quintana. Alongside the exhibition being set up, Uldalen set-up a

Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...

campaign for the Paintguide book, showcasing the 60 first artists who took over the Instagram page, displaying 5 of their favourite artworks. It was successfully funded on 28 November.

Exhibitions

Solo exhibitions

* 2021 JD Malat Gallery. "Love in Exile". London, UK * 2018 JD Malat Gallery. London, UK * 2014 Thinkspace. Los Angeles, USA * 2011 Galerie Contour. Skagen, Denmark * 2010 Galleri Ramfjord. Oslo, Norway * 2009 Galleri Ramfjord. Oslo, Norway

Group exhibitions

* 2021 Spring Gardens Flats. “NuArt Aberdeen”. Aberdeen, Scotland * 2015 Friends Of Leon Gallery. “Les Petit Fours”. Sydney, AU * 2015 Gallery 1261. “Unfurl”. Denver, USA * 2015 Inner State Gallery. “LAX/DTW”. Detroit, USA * 2015 Galleri Ramfjord. “Scope Art Show”. New York, USA * 2015 LA Municipal Art Gallery. “20 Years Under The Influence of Juxtapoz”. Los Angeles, USA * 2015 Modern Eden. “Platinum Blend”. San Francisco, USA * 2015 Hashimoto Contemporary. “The Moleskine Project 4”. San Francisco, USA * 2014 Arcadia Contemporary. “Scope Art Fair”. New York, USA * 2014 Thinkspace. “LA Art Show”. Los Angeles, USA * 2014 Arcadia Contemporary. “LA Art Show”. Los Angeles, USA * 2014 Arcadia Contemporary. New York, USA * 2014 Thinkspace. Los Angeles, USA * 2013 Corey Helford Gallery. “Art Collector Starter Kit”. Los Angeles, USA * 2013 Gallery 1261. “Contemporary Realism”. Denver, USA * 2013 Thinkspace. Los Angeles, USA * 2012 Galleri Ramfjord. Oslo, Norway * 2012 NOo Sphere Arts. “Beautiful Maladies”. New York, USA * 2012 Spoke Art. San Francisco, USA * 2012 J. LeVine Gallery. “Art Basel”, Switzerland * 2012 Thinkspace. Los Angeles, USA * 2012 Stricoff Fine Art. New York, USA * 2011 Galleri Ramfjord. Oslo, Norway * 2011 S Cube Gallery. Los Angeles, USA * 2011 .NO New York. New York, USA * 2011 Galleri V58. “Magic Realism”. Århus, Denmark * 2010 Galerie Contour. Skagen, Denmark * 2010 Galleri Ramfjord. Oslo, Norway

References

External links

Official Website

The paintguide Instagram
{{DEFAULTSORT:Uldalen, Henrik Aarrestad Painters from Oslo 21st-century Norwegian painters Norwegian male painters 1986 births Living people 21st-century Norwegian male artists