thor engelstad's winning photograph, kamy ozturk.

photo enters prize finals
pat mcleod 13 march 08 gold coast bulletin

photographer thor elias engelstad was one of the finalists in this year's prestigious moran contemporary photographic prize. engelstad won through for his work titled kamy ozturk. Run in conjunction with the doug moran national portrait prize, the mcpp is a national photographic competition created to promote contemporary photography and excellence in all forms of still photo-based artwork, including all types of analogue and digital photography.

link to other media about the competition:

pdf from australian commercial and media photographers

pdf from sandefjords blad, norway

going north, learn from the pros, p. 26-27 australian photography may issue.

going north
thor elias engelstad uses personal assignments to expand both his creative horizons and his commercial opportunities.

this is the first image in a new personal project, an ongoing process of rediscovering the ‘north’, where I come from. for me, after living five years in australia, the north has become exotic. ironically, most other norwegians would normally associate that word with tropical islands, rainforest, beaches and sun! the series studies what I once took for granted growing up there, both in the rich human history of scandinavia, as well as the more immediately tangible features of this part of our planet, such as the unique and striking landscapes resulting from natural forces.

read the full article here:

pdf from australian photography may issue 2008

club asia from the series just a moment, please (2005).

trampoline/acmp. thor was one of the 15 finalists for the 2007 acmp competition for emerging photomedia artists in australia. exhibited both in sydney and melbourne at saatchi and federation square. last year he was selected from the finalists to do an advertising commission with saatchi & saatchi.

link to projections 07 finalists

the center for fine art photography, featured artwork from the 'on the edge' competition/exhibition in the nov/dec issue of camera arts artists' showcase.The center provides ongoing exhibitions and juried shows of the finest photography from around the world.

link to centre for fine art photography

just a moment, please (2005)

united galleries has taken thor onboard and is currently representing his latest photo-media series just a moment, please, with good response from their clients. the series is featured in their unwrapped show late july 2007. visit united galleries to view the series under represented artists.

www.unitedgalleries.com.au

'Just A Moment, Please' explores the phenomenon of Japanese Harajuku fashion, in which a youth sub-culture uses bizarre extremes of costume and make-up to rebel against uniformity and norms of Japanese society. This behaviour appears to be driven by a superficial desire to create an individual identity, rather than making a political or philosophical statement.

four page article feaure in lino magazine issue 17 (2007)

four page article featured in lino magazine automn issue 17, australia & new zealand's premier design lifestyle magazine.

view the full article here

image from the qac artwork for their 2007 directory

this year’s cover art designer is thor elias engelstad. thor took inspiration from qac ’s ability to reach every corner of the state, particularly working with whatever resources are available in each town. thor wanted to show a variety of art forms as fun and colourful. The images show someone sky surfing on an ironing board, singing into a hairbrush, playing guitar on a broom and painting with house paint. “i wanted to show that you can be creative and artistic by making the most of what you have available, and you can be creative with regular domestic items on hand - it’s all about using your imagination.” said thor. thor’s cover artwork is the first fully creative photographic ontour directory cover for qac.

to read the full interview with thor in the ontour newsletter, click here.

ontour directory cover concept (2006), for the qac directory.

queensland arts council has invited thor to submit a concept for their annual cover art challenge. three artists are selected each year to submit concepts for finished art. from these concepts one artist will receive a $3000 commission to prepare a final artwork. each artist will be paid $250 for their concept.

reproductions of the winning artwork will be featured in their collection, used as the cover design for their ontour directory 2007, corporate publications, advertising, posters, flyers and their 2005 annual report.

bitch, from the series clean up your act (2005). series displayed at projections 2006

thor was one of the 15 finalists for the 2006 competition for emerging artists in australia. showcased both in sydney and melbourne at saatchi and mojo. he was selected from the finalists to do an advertising commission with saatchi & saatchi, sydney.

trampoline projections is a showcase of new works from students, assistants, emerging photographers and photo artists in a multimedia presentation. a chapter of the acmp, trampoline aims to raise the profile of emerging photographers by presenting fresh and challenging work to the wider community. encompassing the innovative approach of exhibiting stills in a cinematic environment, projections allows viewers to sit back and experience the best contemporary photography in australia.