Hanne Friis (b. 1972) is a Norwegian textile artist educated at Trondheim Academy of Art. Friis builds on, and challenges, tradition through tactile, handmade and sculptural works. Her work has contributed to a growing interest for textile art in Norway. Friis collects her material from trees, mushrooms and plants, and colours the textiles through a long chemical process. She creates the final form by hand using needle and thread, resulting in the characteristic layers of fabric; a compact structure with an organic expression reminiscent of nature and the human body.
Recent exhibitions include Soft Monuments, KODE Art Museum, Bergen (2015), We live upon a Star, Henie Onstad Art Center (2014), Attention: Craft!, Liljevalchs Konsthall, Stockholm (2014), Thousands Threads, Lillehammer Art Museum (2013), and The Norwegian Sculpture Biennial, The Vigeland Museum, Oslo (2013). She is also behind a series of significant public commissions at, among others, Sentralen, Oslo (The Savings Bank Foundation) and The Norwegian University of Life Sciences. Friis is represented in collections such as The Museum of Decorative Arts and Design in Oslo, Oslo municipality’s art collection, KODE, The Museum of Decorative Arts and Design in Bergen, Nordenfjeldske museum of industrial art, Trondheim and Nordnorsk Art Museum. Hanne Friis Lives and works in Oslo, Norway.