Norsk
MLH´s paintings give the viewer an immidiate sense of vitality and beauty. The expressive technique of painting, using clear colourpanels that interact with the lines in the drawings, the elements of collage and use of templates, reates a fascinating visual and tactile universe. One will nevertheless soon realize that there is another and more insisting layer of meaning to the paintings. The contrast between the detailed, focused, representative elements in the paintings and the open tempting colourpanels yields an uncanny tension to the paintings. The repetetive deletion of details from faces and figures, reducing these areas to colourpanels thus creating an absence in otherwise wellknown objects in addition to written and then crossed out texts, are all manouvers that substantiates a sense of uneasiness that also gives focus to the underlying intentions of the paintings.
Its the beauty and violence in us all and towards us all that in different ways and on differrent levels are expressed in these paintings. MLH has the courage to paint this and her technique combined with her treatment of the painted objects avails this to us. The titles of the paintings, such as "Beslan", "Frozen point" and "Cemetery Garden" contributes to a perception of experiencing and observing the contrasts of reality.
With clear references to the estethics of punk and rock both in contents and titles and also to such diverse artists as Elvira Bach, Antoni Tapies and Marlene Dumas, MLH creates a unique style that also strongly bonds with her generation and zeitgeist.
– Jostein Kirkerud, artist