Todd Norsten

– a “painter’s painter” –

This Isn't, (2015) by Todd NorstenTHAT'S CONTEMPORARY

Todd Norsten’s practice

begins with texts and images he finds during his travels: fragments of everyday life function as a visual diary and a subtle reflection, humorous and bitter at the same time, which explore the commercial culture and the daily reality of the Western society. For the artist, a “painter’s painter” who is known for his technical mastery and deep understanding of the medium and its history, the value he places on high culture and vernacular art and architecture is equally high.

The End Is At Hand Again (2017) by Todd NorstenTHAT'S CONTEMPORARY

Norsten’s subtle and evocative paintings are filled of signs: rudimentary marks, sloppy lettering, awkward cropping and sometimes dirty surfaces. Upon first glance they look careless or naive. Closer examination reveals an accurate research on the possibilities of language.

Fatheads (2016) by Todd NorstenTHAT'S CONTEMPORARY

Words, signs and discrete images, whether they are handmade or mechanically produced, aim for a direct and simplified deposit of information with the singular purpose of re-contextualizing the texts in a completely different system of communication. According to Norsten, “The way it is made says more about the maker than the words that they are trying to communicate.”

Untitled, Todd Norsten, 2018, From the collection of: THAT'S CONTEMPORARY
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Blue Steps (2015) by Todd NorstenTHAT'S CONTEMPORARY

By employing a variety of painting techniques from the tribute to Minimal Art to trompe l’oeil, Todd Norsten makes clear his faith in the act of painting and chooses to depict signs and objects which belong to popular culture, transforming them into minimal, earnest and humorous works that give character to things that are transitory or ephemeral.

Gray Target (2015) by Todd NorstenTHAT'S CONTEMPORARY

Double Grizz (2016) by Todd NorstenTHAT'S CONTEMPORARY

Todd Norsten was born in 1967 in Minnesota and studied at the College of Art and Design of Minneapolis, where he lives and works today.

Jackson Pollock (2016) by Todd NorstenTHAT'S CONTEMPORARY

Untitled (2018) by Todd NorstenTHAT'S CONTEMPORARY

Selected solo and group exhibitions: Federica Schiavo Gallery, Milan, Italy; Highpoint Center for Printmaking, Minneapolis, USA (2017); Editions/Artists’ Book Fair 2017, New York, USA (2017); Adams and Ollman, Portland, USA (2017); Federica Schiavo Gallery, Rome, Italy (2016); Porch Gallery, California, USA (2016); Fondazione Giuliani, Rome, Italy (2015); Weinstein Gallery, Minneapolis, USA (2013); Glenn Horowitz Bookseller, East Hampton, USA (2013); Diane Kruse Galerie, Hamburg, Germany (2013); Fitzroy Gallery, New York, USA (2011); Leo Koenig, Inc., New York, USA (2010); Dayton Art Institute, Dayton, USA (2011); Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, USA (2011); Josée Bienvenu Gallery, New York, USA (2011); Sue Scott Gallery, New York, USA (2011); Tinderbox Gallery, Hamburg, Germany (2009); Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, USA (2009); Midway Contemporary Art, Minneapolis, USA (2009); Blondeau Fine Art, Geneva, Switzerland (2009); Larissa Goldston Gallery, New York, USA (2009); Cohan and Leslie, New York, USA (2008); Arario Gallery, Seoul, Korea (2007).

The end (2015) by Todd NorstenTHAT'S CONTEMPORARY

Credits: Story

This virtual exhibition was brought together with Federica Schiavo gallery on the occasion of the Exhibition ‘Palookaville’ visitable from the 21.09.18 to the 08.11.18.
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Since 2011,THAT'S CONTEMPORARY and That’s App are the foremost guide for contemporary art space, exhibition, events and practices in Milan. Get inside the best of contemporary art in Milan through our weekly newsletter and our social networks instagram , facebook and twitter .

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The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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