Geir Nustad

Geir Nustad’swork is often inspired by his experience growing up in the contrasting  natural surroundings of Norway. Between Norway’s wintry polar nights and the summer’s midnight suns, these dynamic weather shifts and natural influences are deeply instructive to his respect for nature’s principles in his artistic practice. His work also reflects on his cultural and geographical connection to the Sami culture. As an artist and craftsman, he is pushing the boundaries of material, by manipulating glass aesthetically and technically to reveal completely new forms of glassmaking. His work is unique in that, glass is the medium for not only his art, but his own exploration of self-expression. Over the last decade, Geir has developed his practice to become one that is completely distinctive. The true beauty of glass is central to his artworks’ physicality and meaning. In that, the luminous glass interiors of his works are almost concealed to its viewer. At first glance, one would see a stone, metal, ceramic, or cast-iron exterior, highlighting his prowess in multiple mediums, and his emphasis on contrast between mediums. Nustad’s emphasis on contrast and peacefulness in his work, evident in the differing terrains between the interior and exterior of his pieces, is compounded by the vibrant colors and beautiful patterns he uses to symbolize the Sami culture. His series of unique objects called ‘Waves’ is an example of how this master artisan is able to push the limits of the material.

Geir Nustad was born in Tromsø, Norway in 1984 and lives and works in The Netherlands. He trained as a craftsman at the Kosta Glass School and later studied art at the prestigious Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam.