Jørgen Haarstad

Jørgen Frederik Scheel Haarstad is an artist, musician, and composer. Born in Oslo in 1969, Haarstad studied at the Musician Institute in Los Angeles between 1993-94, The Interdisciplinary Art Institute at Haslum, Norway, between 2003-10, and at KHIO – Oslo National Academy of The Arts, Norway, between 2010-15. His artistic expression is influenced by his experience as a professional drummer for over 25 years. Haarstad primarily explores and experiments with ceramics as audiovisual material in his works, and uses ceramics, such as porcelain waste and faulty production from Norsk Teknisk Porselen (NTP) in Fredrikstad, Norway, to produce sound objects and to create sound in visual performances. He searches for uniqueness and sound potential in each individual ceramic object by manipulating the objects’ movements to produce sound. Here, improvisation and experimentation lead the way.

Free expression and exploration of sound, sound objects, and sound production are his basic motivations as an artist. Haarstad’s stage and gallery art productions are characterized by the transcendence of genres, multidisciplinarity, and artistic diversity: industrial ceramic installations staged with contemporary ceramic sound collages he created as a performer and composer. He wants form, content, and strategies to reflect contemporary undercurrents and seeks continuous development and change. He aims for the continued development of his artistic expression and collaboration with partners in different genres to arouse interest and curiosity among those interested in art and music.

Jørgen Haarstad wants the expression of the form to be created along the way, focusing on detaching himself from a specific idea and rather trusting the process and seeking an experimental form. An example is Oxytycin A, produced at the Center for Ceramic Art, Ringebu, Norway (2021). Haarstad’s work was shown in multiple exhibitions in Norway and abroad, and in 2026, he will be a master presenter at the Clay Gulgong festival in Australia. He is a member of the International Academy of Ceramics.

Visit Jørgen Haarstad’s website and Instagram page.