Mona Hoel (NO)

Mona Hoel (NO)
Text written by GHA

“The Norwegian artist Mona Hoel captures a lively nostalgia in her mixed media paintings. The depicted silhouettes of people, seemingly engrossed in conversation, invite the viewer to contemplate atmospheric and seemingly homely scenes.”

The faded imagery and gestural content suggest distant memories of time spent with friends or family. The compositions are dense, filled with multiple layers of colour, reworked with charcoal. Movement and interaction between the figures are only partially visible due to the blurred edges and negative space, making no reference to time or place. Without defined facial features, the proximity between the figures becomes the centre of the works. The audience is assigned an observer role as we remain unnoticed by the characters.

Mona Hoel (NO)

The titles, such as ‘The Art of Reading’, provide an insight into the narrative while still allowing the viewer to consider their own interpretations of the atmosphere. Hoel’s paintings are characterised by their contrasting colour palette; the figures appear almost translucent in pastel shades of blue, while their surroundings are vividly rendered and defined by deep shadows. The bright daylight is captured in layers of pink, although the time of day remains unclear, suggesting that the intensity of the light is a crucial memory. It gives the impression that the ambience of the surroundings is of greater importance than the identities of the people. Hoel’s works appear unobtrusive and reveal endless possibilities for the viewer to recognise and relive their own life stories.

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