Øyvind Torseter: Norway ⋆ Illustrator

Innovation, intuitiveness and experimentation are three of the qualities frequently associated with Oslo-based illustrator, author, and artist Øyvind Torseter, one of Norway's most influential and celebrated illustrators. While some of his techniques are traditional, he also employs and experiments with three-dimensional paper clippings, ink drawing collages, graphic effects and digital picture techniques, while retaining his own distinct style and voice. Born in Stange in 1972, Torseter received his education at the Merkantilt Institute, the School for Graphic Design in Oslo, and the Kent Institute of Art and Design in Maidstone, England, before he debuted as a children's book illustrator in 1999. He has both successfully partnered with highly respected Norwegian authors such as Jon Fosse, Tore Renberg, and Bjørn Sortland, and published a number of works, which he has written and illustrated himself. The first of these was Mister Random in 2002, and this minimally texted book introduces the audience to characters such as the elephant man and the leopard lady who reappear in a number of Torseter's later works. The release of this book led to an intense discussion surrounding intended audience, and like several of Torseter's picture books, Mister Random has a surrealistic side and can be read as both one narrative and individual stories.

Torseter received a great deal of critical acclaim for Detours (2007) for which he received the 2008 Bologna Ragazziaward. Bordering on the comic book genre, an area in which Torseter has published, Detours is rich in allusions to films, literature and other art forms, and demonstrates both the ways in which Torseter calls upon his readers and viewers to be co-creators, and his success at addressing younger and older audiences with the same material. The Bologna jury's citation noted Torseter's ability to synthesize three-dimensional painting, his refined comic art, and his deep understanding of visual art developments.

More straightforward narrative and simpler artistic techniques are seen in works such as Click (2004). Written for very young children, this book relates the panic of a young boy and his grandparents—effectively conveyed through the use of the color black—when he accidentally locks himself in the bathroom. Torseter's use of basic colors to represent danger, fear and safety are also seen in The Violin Girl (Jon Fosse, 2009).

Torseter talks about his art to groups of school children and adults alike, and his work can be found in the National Gallery and several public buildings in Norway.