Ann Naustdal

Ann Naustdal – Artist Biography

Ann Naustdal is a Norwegian textile artist whose career spans over five decades, marked by a deep commitment to the art of woven tapestry. Educated at Edinburgh College of Art and Huddersfield Polytechnic in the UK, she has developed a distinctive voice in contemporary textile art, blending traditional techniques with conceptual depth.

Naustdal’s work has been exhibited extensively across Europe, North America, and Australia, including venues such as the City Art Centre in Edinburgh, the Art Museum of Kajaani in Finland and the Musée Jean Lurcat in Angers, France.

She has participated in major international exhibitions like the European Artapestry Triennials, the Karpit exhibitions in Budapest, Contextile in Guimarães, Portugal, the Riga International Textile and Fiber Art Triennial in Latvia and in the early 1980s Scandinavia Today, a travelling exhibition in the USA.

Ann Naustdal has been the recipient of several awards including winning the first Cordis Prize for Tapestry in 2015 and the Golden Fleece Award in Karpit 3, in 2017. In 2021 she was commended for her tapestry in the Kate Derum Award in Australia and early in her career, in 1985, she was awarded in the art competition for the Government Building Complex 4 in Oslo, Norway.

Her tapestries are represented in numerous public collections and have been commissioned for both national and international architectural projects. Naustdal has received recognition through grants from the Norwegian Government, the Norwegian Visual Artists (NBK) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She is a member of NBK and the Norwegian Textile Artists (NTK) and has played an active role in both. She is presently in the board of the European Tapestry Forum.

Through her intricate and expressive tapestries, Naustdal continues to explore the narrative and material potential of textile, contributing to the ongoing evolution of the medium.