'Blood'
by Thor Engelstad
Thor Elias is a Norwegian Gold Coast based photo media artist whose work has been featured in several publications such as a cultural History of fashion in the 20th century, French Photo, Camera Arts, Capture and Australian Photographer. The recipient of grants, and international prizes, including those of the Norwegian government, the Queensland Arts Council, the International photography Awards and The Centre for Fine Art Photography. He has won art commissions, being the first photo media artist to do the commission for the Queensland Arts Councils Directory Cover artwork for 2007 in 20 years. He has had several solo exhibitions, Feeling Cambodia, to name one, at the Queensland Centre for Photography as well as being represented in many group shows world wide. He also has a permanent exhibition in Siem Reap, Cambodia where the revenue goes to a local orphanage, supporting the children’s education.
Thor
Elias is represented as an artist by United Galleries,
Australia.
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Artist
Statement
Thor Engelstad - Just A Moment, Please
'Just a Moment, Please' explores the phenomenon of Japanese Harajuku
fashion, in which a youth sub-culture uses bizarre extremes of costume and
make-up to rebel against uniformity and norms of Japanese society. This
behaviour appears to be driven by a superficial desire to create an
individual identity, rather than making a political or philosophical
statement.
2002-05 - Bachelor of Photography, major in creative advertising, Queensland College of Art, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia
2005-2008
Explore’, Restaurant b, Mainbeach, Gold
Coast
2005
Feeling Cambodia’, Queensland Centre for Photography, Brisbane
2004
’Images of Cambodia’, Earthwalkers - Siem Reap - Cambodia. Permanent sales exhibition 100of the proceeds are given to theEarthwalkers fund, supporting Cambodian children.
1st & 2nd charity sales exhibition, fundraiser for the Sangkheum
Centre
for Children’s education in Cambodia, Sidebar - Sydney
Moran Contemporary Photographic Art Prize 2008, Australian touring exhibition
A Hundred Nations, multicultural festival, Sandefjord, Norway
Unwrapped
08,
Australia’s Premier Showcase of Emerging Art, United Galleries, Aus
2008 Art in Mind, Brick Lane Gallery, London, UK
2008 Tales from the Cold Ghost II, Tinygold, Gold Coast, Aus
2007
Projections 07, Federation square, Melbourne & Saatchi gallery Sydney
Unwrapped 07, Australia’s Premier Showcase of Emerging Art, United Galleries
2006
ScanArt 06, Scandinavian art exhibition, Mary Place Gallery, Sydney
ACMP/Trampoline 06 finalist, emerging photomedia artist’s exhibition
Project 30, May Exhibition, New York, USA
Queensland Open Photographer of the Year Awards, Brisbane, Australia
Project 30, June Exhibition, New York, USA
On The Edge, The Center for Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins, USA
Juvenarte, Galleri Fimbul, Oslo, Norway
2005
ScanArt, Scandinavian art exhibition (Juvenarte), Tap Gallery, Sydney – (Attended by the Norwegian PM)
Resolution, graduating photography student’s exhibition, QCA, White Box Gallery, Brisbane
Thiess Art Prize finalists, Dell Gallery, South Bank, Brisbane
Allure, Logan Art Gallery Qld. Australia with William Yang: Selected Photographs
2004
Colourbox magazine sales exhibition, QCA
The Printmakers Club Compact disc sales exhibition, QCA
Colourbox ‘This way up’ emerging artist’s exhibition, QCA
2008
Finalist Moran Contemporary Photographic Art Prize, Sydney
2007
Finalist ACMP Trampoline 07 Projections, Sydney
Cover Art Challenge Award Winner, Queensland Arts Council, Brisbane
International Photography Awards, 3 Honourable mentions in Professional Categories, LA, USA
2006
Finalist Project 30 May exhibitions and June exhibition, New York, USA
Premiere selection, PHOTO ‘Le Plus Grand Concours Photo Du Monde’, Paris, France
Finalist ACMP Trampoline 06 Projections, Sydney
Finalist Project 30 June exhibitions, New York, USA
Finalist On The Edge The Center for Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins, USA
Honourable mention, International Photography Awards, Fine Art Professional, LA, USA
Two Honourable Mentions International Photography Awards, People/lifestyle, Prof., LA, USA
2005
The annual F-Stop Imaging Director’s Choice Award, Brisbane
Capture Magazines ‘Exposed’ competition in March 2005, Australia
Finalist Thiess Art Prize, Dell Gallery, Brisbane
2008
Name of the Week/Weekend Portrait, weekend magazine, Sandefjords Blad,
Norway.
2008 Capture, Australia’s Pro Photog. Mag, cover and interview, Doing
it in Style, May/June Issue, Yaffa Publishing.
2008 Australian Photography, artist Profile, May issue, Yaffa Publishing.
2007 A Cultural History of 20th Century fashion: From Catwalk to
Sidewalk, Berg Publishers, New York
2007 Ontour Directory 2007, cover and sections artwork, Queensland Arts
Council, Australia
2007 LINO issue 16, featured artist, Australia and New Zealand
2007 Clay Mag, Between Places, GC, Australia
2006 Artists' ShowCase, The Center for Fine Art Photography,
Colorado, USA
2006 Capture magazine, Shooting Stars, Sydney, Australia
2005 Capture Magazine, Sydney, Australia
2006 French PHOTO, Paris, France
2004 Halt mag, Sydney, Australia & Ace mag 1st issue, Avant card,
Sydney, Australia
2006 Queensland Arts Council, QAC Cover Art Challenge 2007
Culture grant 2005 for up and coming visual artists, Sandefjord Kommune, Norway
Two Teachers’ The Center for Fine Art Photography Collection, Fort Collins, USA
‘Surfers Paradise’ photomontage, The Gold Coast Art Centre Gallery Collection
‘Cover Art Challenge’ Queensland Arts Council Collection, Brisbane
Private collections, represented through United Galleries, Australia