The Norse Universe: Isis Eats The Sun
Lise Ellingsen
The Norse Universe: Isis Eats The Sun is a solo exhibit of the artist Lise Ellingsen showcasing large-scale surrealist mashups of Norse mythology and US pop culture. Ellingsen juxtaposes her Norwegian heritage with her current life in NYC, combining 3D scanned hand-made characters in 3D animated and printed sculptures, video performance, archaic stop-animation, smartphone-augmented reality applications, and Cyberpunk Prog Rock music. Through camp humor, low and high culture, Ellingsen embraces the imperfect performer by incorporating herself into pre-existing fables, stories and roles where men traditionally were the protagonist and antagonist. The sculpture Auðumbla—a 3D printed clay sculpture that is also animated in videos— reflects the creation of Cosmos, reimagining the body of the cow into the form of her bull-terrier dog, Isis, its long, pink tongue inspired by the pop-culture Pokémon icon Lickilicky. Elevating animals to gods (higher spiritual beings) references the disconnect and destruction of our environment and ourselves, a reminder that the land is threatened and no longer endless. The imagery offers an underlying, subversive message about personal empowerment and the alarming state of our world.
About the Artist
Lise Ellingsen is an artist residing in New York City. Born in Oslo, Norway, she moved to New York to earn a BFA at School of Visual Arts in Graphic Design. After working in the advertising industry for over 15 years, she graduated with a MFA in Visual Arts from Vermont College of Fine Arts in 2021. Ellingsen attended art residencies at the Small Projects Residency in Norway, the Fine Art Work Center print studio, Michael David Artist Residency in the US, and RUC Residency in Italy. She has previously shown her work at the Scandinavia House Gallery, Prince Street Gallery and NYC Crit Club Group Show and recently had an International Virtual Solo Show with the Arts To Hearts Project. She has an upcoming solo exhibition in the Trygve Lie Gallery in Manhattan. Ellingsen is the founder of “Artists for Animals,” a series of global exhibitions where artists donate work to fundraise for animals in need. In 2011, Ellingsen created a T-shirt design company, BlondesMakeBetterTshirts.com, with her quirky feminist T-shirts selling globally in stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, and published globally in magazines such as Nylon Japan, Elle Singapore and Seventeen Magazines in the USA.
