Lene Baadsvig Ørmen

Lene Baadsvig Ørmen
Born in Fredrikstad in 1984. Lives and works in Oslo.

Baadsvig Ørmen presented three new commissioned sound sculptures for the fourth edition of Coast Contemporary, in collaboration with Peder Simonsen, in the monastery ruins at Hovedøya.

Peder Simonsen has composed a site specific sound installation with basis in the harmonic content of the materials used in Ørmens sculptures.

Loudspeakers are placed inside the sculptures and are creating an auditory web of vibrations invisibly connecting the three sculptures and allowing the observer to experience the tone interactions in a different way depending on their placement in the physical spaces.

Lene and Peder presenting their wonderful sound and sculpture collaboration at Hovedøya. Photo: Jan Khür.

Listening walk in the monastery ruins at Håvedøya. AA11XXX (2020). Photo Jan Khür.

Lene Baadsvig Ørmen’s sculptural practice creates a condensed atmosphere involving both fictional narrative and material exploration. Her work oscillates between two-dimensional reliefs and three-dimensional sculptures, where figurative motifs linger as shadows in abstract forms. They reveal an anthropological interest and invite us to reflect upon a cyclical notion of time, as well as conceptions we have concerning the natural and the artificial. She often redefines ancient concepts and techniques and incorporates these into new idioms.

Subterranea, 2020. Photo: Bjørn Mortensen / Hordaland Art Center

The sand casting of metal objects traditionally involves a definite and controlled process where the mould being cast is predetermined. Ørmen, on the other hand, casts sculptures in her own workshop and has developed a unique method emphasizing a synergetic approach to her choice of materials.

Ørmen holds an MFA from the Academy of Fine Arts in Oslo, 2013, and a BFA from Bergen Academy of the Arts (Dept. of Photography), 2008.
Solo exhibitions include: Hordaland Art Center Bergen (2020), The Sculptors Association, Oslo (2019), Gallery Augusta, Helsinki, Kunstnerforbundet, UKS, Kunsthall Stavanger, and Another Space, Copenhagen.

A selection of group exhibitions 2016-2020 includes: Galleri Opdahl, Stavanger, Fiskars Village Art Biennale, Finland, Akershus Kunstsenter, Galereie Mikael Andersen, in Copenhagen, Kunsthall Oslo, Viborg Kunsthall, the Drawing Biennial at Tegnerforbundet and Autocenter, in Berlin. She has also participated in residency programs at HIAP, in Helsinki (2017) and Residency Unlimited, in New York (2015).
Ørmen’s work is represented in private and public collections, including the National Museum, the Norwegian Parliament, and Oslo Municipality. She is currently working on a commission piece for KORO ‒ Art in public space.