About - Maria Fynsk Norup

Maria Fynsk Norup is a self taught visual artist and photographer, based on the Danish island of Ærø. She’s formally educated in the field of botany from the Natural History Museum of Denmark and The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, London. Her love for the natural world inevitably appears in the visual storytelling of her works.

Maria primarily uses self-portraits as the medium for storytelling in her work, currently creating imagery that revolves around exploring femininity, and the human-nature interconnection. Her inspiration often draws directly from dreams and emotions, including her own background as a survivor of sexual abuse and depression, and her work can therefore vibrate with a dark undertone.

Influenced by the use of light, form and shadow, immortalised by painters like Caravaggio, Titian and the Danish Vilhelm Hammershøi, she works to tell her stories from a female point of view. Using herself (and occasionally her daughters) as a model, she creates stories grounded in our environment – stories about vulnerability, raw emotions, our connection to nature, and our place in the world.

Fynsk Norup has been widely exhibited, lately at JANUS Museum of Modern Art/VestJyllands Kunstmuseum (DK), Tribeca, NY (US) and Le Carrousel du Louvre in Paris (FR). Furthermore with NEAL Digital Gallery, Beijing (China), Art Basel Miami (US) with The Royal House of Medici, at Mecanate Art Gallery, Rome (IT), Waterline Square Part, NY (US), Adelia Gallery, Liverpool (UK), Luciana Fondazione Matalon, Milano (IT), Økant Performance Festival, Marstal (DK), Galleri Øckenlund, Copenhagen (DK), Ærø Museum, Ærøskøbing (DK), Rundetårn, Copenhagen (DK).

She has received several international awards and honourable mentions for her work, e.g. in 2021 from British Journal of Photography.

Since late 2021 she has been an active part of the international crypto art scene as the only Danish fine art photographer. She is represented on the curated platform SuperRare and has several works in the permanent collections of the Tezos Foundation and the Women’s Museum.

Get in contact

maria@mariafynsknorup.com

CV

Education

1996-1997: History of Arts studies, University of Aarhus, DK
2004: M.Sc. Botany, University of Aarhus (DK) and The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (UK)
2005-2009: PhD-studies at Copenhagen Botanical Gardens (DK)

Exhibitions

2023: Tech Contemporary by Hans Alf Gallery, Cph (DK): Sept
2023: The Inspire Exhibition, Nordic Blockchain Event, Langelinie Pavilionen, Cph (DK): Sept
2023: Nematic Gallery x MakersPlace, Carmel-by-the-Sea (US): Group exhibition: August
2023: Kunstnernes Sommerudstilling (KS23), JANUS/Vestjyllands Kunstmuseum, DK: Juryed group exhibition: June.
2023: Summer Exhibition, Det Røde Pakhus, Marstal: Group exhibition: June
2023: Low Key Gallery, Tribeca, NY: Group exhibition: May
2023: The NFT Gallery, NY: Group exhibition: April
2023: The Lower Draw Gallery, NY: Group exhibition: April
2023: The Artists Village with NFTNYC, NY: Group exhibition: April
2023: Le Carrousel du Louvre, Paris, with NFTUK, as part of Paris Blockchain Week. Group exhibition: March
2023: Le Grand Palais Éphémère, NFT Paris, with Light.Art. Group exhibition: Feb
2023: Forever Frame #DANY2023, NEAL Digital Gallery, Beijing. Group exhibition: Feb
2022: Art Basel Miami, The Royal House of Medici. Group exhibition: Dec
2022: Rome Art Week, Mecanate Art Gallery, Rome. Group exhibition: Oct
2022: Wonder Fair 4.0 – Natural Intelligence. Waterline Square Park, NY. Group exhibition: June
2022: Complicit Exhibition, American Copper Buildings Sky Bridge, NY. Group exhibition: June
2022: NFTLiverpool, Adelia Gallery, Liverpool, UK. Group exhibition: June-July
2022: FlowerGang, 1st Dibs. Online group exhibition: May-June
2022: Women and non-binary photographers in the NFT space: P46 Gallery x NFTphotography. Online group exhibition: April-May
2021: Edition 365, British Journal of Photography digital exhibition at Newart.city, Room 1: December
2021: ImageNation, Luciana Fondazione Matalon, Milan, IT – group exhibition: September
2021: Økant Performancefestival, Marstal, DK – solo exhibition: July
2021: Galleri Øckenlund, Copenhagen, DK – group exhibition/duo show: January
2020: KunstNow – online solo exhibition on their social platforms: March, June.
2020: Contemporary Art Collectors – online exhibition on their social platforms: March
2018-2023: Galleri Vråvejen, Ærøskøbing, DK – solo exhibition.
2018: Galleri Højkant, Århus, DK – solo exhibition.
2017: Ærø Museum – curated group exhibition at Søbygaard Castle, Ærø, DK.
2016: Tiny Atlas Quarterly – Solas juryed group exhibition, San Fransisco, US.
2016: #DetSerDuIkkeIByen – Juryed group exhibition by RealDania, DR Kunstklub and Copenhagen Photo Festival at Rundetårn, Copenhagen, DK. Among the best 12 chosen for large format print.
2015: Tiny Atlas Quarterly – Montauk juryed group exhibition, New York, US

Awards

2022: Honorable mention: 18th Julia Margaret Cameron Award (part of The Worldwide Photographers Gala Awards): Professional category: Fine Art, single image (two works)
2022: Honorable mention: 18th Julia Margaret Cameron Award (part of The Worldwide Photographers Gala Awards): Professional category: Fine Art, series
2021: Winner, Edition 365, British Journal of Photography
2021: Honorable mention: 17th Julia Margaret Cameron Award: Professional category: Fine Art, series
2021: Honorable mention: 16th Julia Margaret Cameron Award: Professional category: Self-portrait
2021: Finalist, Fine Art Category: FotoNostrum Magazine x Worldwide Photography Gala Awards, Lockdown Competition
2020: Honorable mention: International Photography Awards: Category: People / Selfportrait
2020: Honorable mention: 15th Julia Margaret Cameron Award (part of The Worldwide Photographers Gala Awards): Professional category: Fine Art
2020: Honorable mention: 15th Julia Margaret Cameron Award (part of The Worldwide Photographers Gala Awards): Professional category: Self Portrait.
2016: 1st price winner – Click Foto x Spejlløse Fotografer. Subject: Close up in nature

Publications & Media

2022:
Oct: Oli’s Photo Radio, interview on storytelling
Oct: Mina Art Magazine, feature interview
Aug: Drawlights art blog, feature interview
Aug: Light.Art: podcast/video interview
May: The Moderne Analogue, interview
April: Paloma’s top 10: SuperRare
March: NFT Culture Interview
2021:
July: Feature Interview, FotoNostrum Magazine, Issue 17
Feb: Winner feature, FotoNostrum Magazine, Issue 12
2020:
Feb: Feature interview in the Danish newspaper Jyllandsposten.
2019:
Oct: Book feature/Interview, “Heimat” by Simone Hawlisch, published by Knesebeck verlag
Oct: Photographer for the book “Falmet Skønhed” by Dorthe Kvist, published by Forlaget Koustrup & co.
2018:
Jul: Magazine interview, BoBedre
Mar: Interview, MyNewsDesk/VisitÆrø