Torbjørn Rødland

Torbjørn Rødland (born in Norway in 1970) is a Norwegian photographer known for his seemingly banal portraits and landcapes that move from the everyday into the otherworldly. Rødland has had solo exhibitions at Nils Stærk, Copenhagen; Algus Greenspon, New York; Air de Paris, Paris; MoMA PS1, New York; and Michael Benevento in Los Angeles, among others. Rødland has also been featured in group exhibitions at Galerie Rodolphe Janssen, Brussels; Gagosian Gallery, New York; Cruise & Callas, Berlin; and Triple V, Paris.

Rødland is currently represented by Algus Greenspon in New York; Michael Benevento in Los Angeles; Standard Oslo in Oslo; and Nils Stærk in Copenhagen.

Background and Education

Rødland was born in 1970 in Stavanger, Norway. He studied at the National College of Art and Design in Bergen, Norway and the Rogakand University Centre in Stavanger, Norway. Rødland lives and works in Los Angeles.

Career

Rødland's photography moves from genre to genre; portrait, landscape, still life can all be found in his constructed imagery of the everyday, whether in his hometown or in his explorations of Americana. Originally known for his images of young beauties, rosy-cheeked and tanned, Rødland transcended this potential trope by consistently inventing new lures for viewers of his photographs. An example of these lures is the subtle co-existence of the twisted with the warm normalcy of his figures; as seen in his photograph of a woman's hand with an octopus tentacle creeping through her sleeve and wrapped around her finger. Rødland's matter of factness, even in his stylized imagery, is what allows him to straddle both the commonplace and the otherworldly. 

Solo Exhibitions

• 2013 : American Photography, Nils Stærk, Copenhagen, Denmark
• 2012 : Before Behind Above Below, Air de Paris, Paris, France
• 2011 : Eighteen Analouge Double Exposures, Standard (Oslo), Oslo, Norway
• 2010 : A Black Ant Traveling, Michael Benevento, Los Angeles, California
• 2010 : 132 BPM, Studio Exhibition, Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, Hiroshima, Japan
• 2010 : Dearest Kitty, Nils Staerk, Copenhagen, Denmark
• 2009 : Pyromancy, Galerie Rodolphe Janssen, Brussels, Belgium
• 2009 : Andy Capp Variations, Standard (Oslo), Oslo, Norway
• 2008 : Flegma, Sorlandet Art Museum, Kristiansand, Norway
• 2008 : Myke Ekko/Soft Echos, The Festival of North Norway, Harstad, Norway
• 2008 : Go to the VIP Room, Air de Paris, Paris, France
• 2007 : Heads, Hands, Liquids, Michael Benevento, Los Angeles, California
• 2007 : More Whenever Minutes, Standard (Oslo), Oslo, Norway
• 2006 : Uglesommer, Huagar Art Museum,Tonsberg, Norway
• 2006 : Fantasies Are Facts, Kodama Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
• 2006 : The Exorcism of Mother Teresa, Rochester Art Center, Rochester, New York
• 2006 : 132 BPM, P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center, Long Island City, New York
• 2005 : Dark Overground Light Underground, Nils Staerk Contemporary Art, Copenhagen, Denmark
• 2004 : Grave with a View, Goteborg Museum of Art, Gothenburg, Sweden
• 2004 : Herning Kunstmuseum, Stavanger
• 2003 : More Songs, Buildings and Girls, Air de Paris, Paris
• 2003 : Goodnight Moon, Goodnight Room, Goodnight Breasts, Galleri Wang, Oslo
• 2003 : Rogaland Kunstmuseum, Stavenger, Norway
• 2003 : Grave with a View, Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art, Oslo, Norway
• 2002 : Black, Ars Futura, Zurich, Switzerland
• 2001 : Priests, Art & Public, Geneva, Switzerland
• 2001 : White, Jack Hanely Gallery, San Francisco, California
• 2001 : Everything as Always, Nils Staerk Contemporary Art, Copenhagen, Denmark
• 2001 : Rocks, Galleri Wang, Oslo, Norway
• 1999 : Joy inside my Tears, Air de Paris, Paris, France
• 1999 : Even Now, Galleri Wang, Oslo, Norway
• 1998 : Close Encounter, Arkipilag, The Hallwyl Museum, Stockholm, Sweden
• 1997 : Norrtalje Konsthall, Norrtalje, Sweden
• 1996 : Galleri Wang, Oslo, Norway

Group Exhibitions

• 2013 : Adriana Lara and Torbjørn Rødland, Art Brussels, Brussels, Belgium
• 2012 : Lost and Found: Anonymous Photography In Reflection, Ambach & Rice, Los Angeles, California
• 2012 : Inside the Banana, Algus Greenspon, New York, New York
• 2012 : The Crystal Chain, Invisible-Exports, New York, New York
• 2011 : The Eye is a Lonely Hunter: Images of Humankind, Heidelberger Kunstverein, Heidlberg, Germany
• 2011 : Sam Samore, Tørbjorn Rødland, Ryan McGinley, Galerie Rodolphe Janssen, Brussels, Belgium
• 2011 : Our House in the Middle of the Street, Maison des Arts de Malakoff, Paris, France
• 2011 : Catalogue of the Exhibition, Triple V, Paris, France
• 2011 : Train Fantome, Cruise & Callas, Berlin, Germany
• 2010 : La Suite, Air de Paris, Paris, France
• 2010 : The Front Room, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
• 2009 : Summer Show, Hotel, London, England
• 2009 : Phot(o)bjects, Presentation House Gallery, Vancouver, Canada; Lawrimore Project, Seattle, Washington
• 2009 : Backstrom/Mannikko/Rødland, Mai 36 Galerie Showroom, Zurich, Switzerland
• 2009 : N’importe quoi, Musee d’Art Contemporain de Lyon, Lyon, France
• 2009 : To Be Determined, Andrew Kreps Gallery, New York, New York
• 2009 : A Winters Tale, Gl. Holtegaard, Holte, Denmark
• 2008 : The Station [inaugural exhibition], The Station, Miami, Florida
• 2008 : Disturbance, Johannesburg Art Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa
• 2008 : Nordic Moods – The Landscape in Contemporary Nordic Photography, Arken Museum for Moderne Kunst, Ishøj, Denmark
• 2008 : Research on Men in Art Today, The John Institute, Palace, St. Gallen, Switzerland
• 2007 : Destroy Athens, Athens Biennial, Athens, Greece
• 2007 : Mad Love, Arken Museum for Moderne Kunst, Ishøj, Denmark
• 2007 : People Take Pictures of Each Other, Lamontagne Gallery, Boston, Massachusettes
• 2007 : Beneath the Underdog, Gagosian Gallery Madison Avenue, New York, New York
• 2007 : Hello I am Crashing, Salon 94, New York, New York
• 2007 : Rock n’ Roll Vol. 1, Norrkopings Konstmuseum, Norrkoping; Sorlandet Art Museum, Kristiansand, Norway
• 2006 : Dreamlands Burn, Kunsthalle Budapest, Budapest, Hungary
• 2006 : Olaf Breuning & Torbjorn Rodland, Galeria Leyendecker, Santa Cruz de Tenerife
• 2006 : Fiction, La Box, Bourges, France
• 2006 : Cold, Cold Heart, Courtauld Institute of Art, Somerset House, London, England
• 2006 : Mafia (or One Unopened Packet of Cigarettes), STANDARD (OSLO), Oslo, Norway
• 2006 : 'Draft Deceit,' Kunstnerses Hus, Oslo, Norway
• 2005 : Trials and Terrors, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Illinois
• 2005 : Musica-video-musica, Reina Sofia Museum Madrid, Spain
• 2005 : 5 X U, Team Gallery, New York, New York
• 2005 : Greater New York, P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, Long Island City, New York, New York
• 2005 : Similarities and Differences, Preus Museum, Horten, Norway
• 2005 : De Natura, Abbaye Saint-Andre, Meymac, France
• 2004 : Nordic Art, Museum Kuppersmuhle, Duisburg, Germany
• 2004 : Geschiebe, Haus fur Kunst Uri, Altdorf, Germany
• 2004 : Anders Zorn og Nordisk Samtidskunst, Arken Museum for Moderne Kunst, Ishoj, Denmark
• 2004 : Momentum – Nordic Festival of Contemporary Art, Moss, Norway
• 2004 : 20/20 Vision, Stedelijk Museum CS, Amsterdam, Netherlands
• 2003 : Regarde, il neige (schizogeographie de la vie quotidienne), Le Centre national d’art et du paysage de Vassivee en Limousin, Vassiviee, France
• 2003 : The Politics of the Place, BildMuseet, Umea; Edsvik Konst och Kultur, Sollentuna, Sweden
• 2003 : Beyond Paradise, Shanghai Art Museum, Shanghai, China
• 2003 : Yours Truly, Nils Staerk Contemporary Art, Copenhagen, Denmark
• 2002 : Fundamentalism of the New Order, Charlottenborg, Copenhagen
• 2002 : View Finder, Arnolfini, Bristol, England
• 2002 : The Golden Weekend, Kodama Gallery, Osaka; Gallery Side 2, Tokyo, Japan
• 2002 : Heroes and Holies, Invited ev+a, Limerick City Gallery of Art, Limerick, Ireland
• 2002 : On Top of the World, Gio Marconi Gallery, Milan, Italy
• 2002 : Beyond Paradise, National Gallery, Bangkok, Thailand; National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• 2002 : The Politics of the Place, BildMuseet, Umea; Edsvik Konst och Kultur, Sollentuna, Sweden
• 2001 : If a double-decker bus crashes into us.., Air de Paris, Paris, France
• 2001 : Make me feel, Art Athina 2001, Helexpo Exhibition Centre, Athens, Greece
• 2001 : Interferenze, Paesi Nordici, Palazzo delle Pappesse, Siena, Italy
• 2001 : Angel Heart, Air de Paris, Paris, France
• 2001 : Spring, Galleria Laura Pecci, Milano, Italy
• 2001 : In vivo, Centre Régional d’Art Contemporain, Sète, France
• 2001 : Kjærleikens ferjereiser, Lofoten International Art Festival, Svolvær, Norway
• 2000 : Living, part I, Chicago project room, Los Angeles, California
• 2000 : Utopia, Rogaland Kunstmuseum, Stavanger, Norway
• 2000 : Viva Scanland, Catalyst Arts, Belfast, Ireland
• 2000 : Elysian Fields, Purple Institute, Musée National d’Art Moderne, Centre Pompidou, Paris, France
• 2000 : Park, Momentum–Nordic Festival of Contemporary Art, Moss, Norway
• 2000 : Organising Freedom, Nordic Art of the ‘90s, Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden;
• 2000 : Organising Freedom, Charlottenborg, Copenhagen, Denmark
• 2000 : Stadt/Land/Mensch, Galerie Arndt & Partner, Berlin, Germany
• 1999 : Palace, The Modern Institute, Glassbox, Paris, France
• 1999 : Surveying the Landscape, Lombard Freid Fine Arts, New York, New York
• 1999 : Can you hear me?, 2nd Ars Baltica Triennial of Photographic Art, Stadtgalerie im Kulturviertel Sophienhof, Kiel, Germany; [2000] Kunsthalle, Rostock; Kunst Haus Dresden, Germany
• 1999 : Composite, The National Museum of Contemporary Art, Oslo, Norway
• 1999 : dAPERTutto, 48th International Exhibition of Contemporary Art, La Biennale di Venezia, Italy
• 1999 : Near and Elsewhere, The Photographers’ Gallery, London, England
• 1999 : Signs of life, The Melbourne International Biennial, Melbourne, Australia
• 1999 : Wall 6>> Landscape #3, Air de Paris, Paris, France
• 1998 : Nordic Nomads, White Columns, New York, New York
• 1998 : Standard Keyboard, The Pineapple, Malmö, Sweden
• 1998 : Slipstream, Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow, Scotland
• 1998 : La Voie Lactée, as proposed by the Purple Institute, Alleged, New York, New York
• 1998 : Fellessentralen, Cultural Production in Norway in the Nineties, Kunstnernes Hus, Oslo, Norway
• 1997 : Nor-A-Way, Stadtgalerie im Kulturviertel Sophienhof, Kiel, Germany
• 1997 : Alikeness, Centre for Contemporary Photography, Melbourne; Canberra Contemporary Artspace, Canberra, Australia
• 1996 : i am curious: These Days, Cubitt Gallery, London, England
• 1996 : Straight from the heart, Valokuvagalleria Hippolyte, Helsinki, Finland
• 1995 : Call of the Wild, Transmission Gallery, Glasgow, Scotland

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