Henriette Finne: The wonder of creating

By Maria Sødal Vole

The creative Norwegian painter and sculptor Henriette Emilie Finne has almost 100 exhibitions behind her. With new separate exhibitions coming up in 2026, the innovative visual artist is, as ever, unafraid to experiment with new styles, forms and modes of expression.

Finne’s work has been shown at many art galleries over the years, and her pieces have been purchased by several large companies and organisations, including Fred Olsen Cruise Line and The Grieg Art Collection.

Fresh from recent exhibitions across Norway, Finne is currently working on new artworks. Looking ahead to 2026, the artist is planning a large separate exhibition in Oslo. She devotes a lot of time to studying and completing her works, and the process can take up to five years as she works concurrently on several pieces.

Finne’s approach to her artworks resembles that of a theatre director. She values creating a distinct intensity and dynamic through processing and interweaving different techniques, both in terms of strong contrasting colours and varying textures. Through her artistic process, she seeks to evoke physical sensations as a way to connect with her own emotions and those of the audience. “Painting is my medium. I work intuitively, staging stories, moving different elements around until they find their place and shape,” Finne says.

Henriette Emilie Finne. Photo: Erling Sven

Skyld og uskyld

In 2022, Finne completed a 6-year art project with a separate exhibition entitled Skyld og uskyld (Guilt and innocence). The project originated in the relation between mother and child, and thoughts of war and unrest in the world. Comprising over 22 separate works, the ambitious project relates to order and chaos in nature.

The title work Skyld og uskyld, measuring 500 x 250 cm, consists of 108 small acrylic paintings on wooden boards. The size of the work and the repetitive juxtaposition of small images featuring camouflage pattern and babies refer to military order and discipline. “The baby boys represent life and the inherent innocence every human being is born with,” Finne says. “With a wider perspective on the unrest in the world today, it’s natural to feel anxious and sad. As a mother, I’m worried about everyone involved in war – everybody is somebody’s son or daughter.”

Photo: Severin Sæter

The nettle plant was a key element in the project because it grows in the wild in large parts of the world and has been known for thousands of years as useful for both dyeing and the production of textiles, as well as a nourishing and health-promoting plant. However, its stinging hair causes pain, and it’s also considered a weed. “The plant is loved and hated at the same time,” Finne explains. “This duality and opposite relationships in the same element interests me and is present in various ways in many of my works.”

Black Swan 150×150 cm by Henriette Finne. Photo: Henriette Finn

The pentagram is another dualistic element Finne has explored in her art. A widespread symbol of power, it is used in military and political contexts across the world – but it’s also a symbol of harmony and beauty, as its construction is an exact division of the golden ratio. “Central to much of my work is my free use of known elements such as camouflage pattern, plants, geometry and babies,” she says. “Through original combinations of different elements, I attempt to visually present new ways to view opposites and connections in nature, culture and societal structures.”

At the completion of the long-spanning project, an artist book entitled Skyld og uskyld was published, documenting the artistic process and artworks. The coffee table book features fold-out pages, an element which the artist added herself by hand, and which lends the book a playful, but also exclusive touch.

Photo: Henriette Finne

Creative exploration

Finne works with both large and small formats – on paper, canvas and wooden boards. She creates individual artworks, as well as pieces assembled as diptychs and triptychs. She employs a variety of textures and painting techniques as well as experimenting with colour contrasts, refusing to be boxed in.

In her creative work, Finne is inspired by mythologies from across the world. “There are many fabled examples of the human body connected with animal bodies, such as centaurs in Greek mythology. This combination of animal and human has always fascinated and inspired me,” she says. “Ever since I was a child, Sleipner, Odin’s horse in Norse mythology, has interested me, with its eight legs and immense power. I think the way animals move and express themselves can easily be associated with human expressions and emotions, which is one of the reasons I include animal imaging in my works.”

Himmelstormer 110×180 cm by Henriette Finne. Photo: Gicleelab

Drawing inspiration from a wide range of sources such as dreams and myths, as well as botany, history, politics and religion, Finne works freely, interpreting and moulding as she goes. She also enjoys playing with three-dimensional shapes, combining old objects she’s found and saved, and values energy and playful exploration in artistic expression. “I need to be able to express myself freely, and I want to focus on playfulness in my new project,” she says. “To create is a wonderful feeling. Like a child, I make things I think are fun, cool, interesting, beautiful or ugly and mix them together – what could it become?”

Photo: Galleri Vedholmen, Bergen

Finne has an upcoming joint exhibition in Bergen. The beautiful city in the heart of Fjord Norway has been an important place over the course of her career, with a strong local customer base and great interest in her work. The artist is also preparing for her new exhibition in Oslo in 2026, which will draw on personal experiences and memories.

“I can be a little intense, which is why it’s important for me to try to express the acute energy I experience when my body bubbles with enthusiasm, drive, intensity, rage and desire – strong feelings that come from deep within me. I enjoy exploring this in the form of paintings on a two-dimensional surface and discovering how they can be conveyed through that medium,” Finne says. “The force of this energy is important to me in my life. We must never stifle that glow and the intensity that exists there, it’s a gold mine when it’s allowed to find its path – contained within it is a great driving force.”