NORI PAO

NORI PAO

“This exhibition brings together key works that represent different facets of my practice, as well as a core belief of mine—that we can, and are, always evolving—Never. Give. Up. ” - Nori 

Nori Pao is an interdisciplinary artist based in Colorado whose work explores themes of time, memory, the unconscious, and our relationships—to ourselves, each other, and the intangible. The foundation of Pao’s practice lies in developing ideas through intense material exploration and collaboration. Employing various methods and mediums, Pao uses place, internal and external landscape, and ritual to reference the self.

Pao, a 2023-2024 Aspen Art Museum Fellow, received an MFA from Arizona State University and a BA from the University of Delaware. Recent exhibitions include The Art Base, Basalt, CO (solo); the Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Snowmass Village, CO; Albada Jelgersma, Amsterdam, NL; Stellar Projects (solo), New York, NY; SEPTEMBER, Hudson, NY; among others. Past honors include residencies at the Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Snowmass Village, CO and the European Ceramic Workcentre (EKWC), Oisterwijk, NL. 

AVAILABLE WORKS

Your past is not your present.
Your present is not your future.

My work explores themes of time, memory, the unconscious, and our relationships—to ourselves, each other, and the intangible. I utilize place, internal and external landscape, and ritual to reference the self. Memories become witness marks in the same way that rocks and landforms register time.

The foundation of my practice lies in developing ideas through intense material exploration and collaboration. I recognize and embrace the unexpected rather than attempt to control an outcome, which illustrates my acceptance and celebration of the process of making. This way of working can be traced back to my long-standing relationship with clay—the first material that I felt a deep connection to and which continues to inform my work in exciting and limitless ways.

I employ various methods, ranging from sculpture to animation to writing to performance. I am drawn to modes of making that record, capture, and generate moments in time, marks made by hand, and human experiences. I hold these as expressions of our truth and a testament to our presence in this life.