Christian Houge
Christian Houge Norwegian photographer/artist born in 1972, based in Oslo.
With over two and a half decades of experience, his work delves into the intricate relationship between Humanity and Nature, often addressing themes such as environmental degradation and identity.
Houge’s work combines striking visual aesthetics with a subtle sense of unease, prompting viewers to confront uncomfortable truths about the Anthropocene—the era in which human activity has become the dominant force shaping Earth’s climate and ecosystems.
In Residence of Impermanence, the artist burns old trophy animals, collected and repaired for seven years, to reflect on how Humans have dominated, objectified, and mythologized the animal world, turning once-living beings into symbols and trophies.
The burning of these animals is a form of ritual and reckoning, questioning the legacy of Human dominance over nature throughout history and the boundary between reverence and destruction. Houge underlines the relevance of this work and the fragility of Nature as climate increases globally, forests burn and species go extinct .
In this performance of burning animals on colonial inspired English wallpapers lies a protest to the establishment, imperialism and the conquering of Nature. The artist also explores a spiritual aspect and transcendence in this series, as he sets each animal free from a cycle after being in a state of taxidermic limbo for our amusement. Here the animal has a last breath of life
The artist sees this not merely as a means to delve deeper in understanding ourselves but often juxtaposes beauty with decay. In this, Houge invites viewers to evoke a cognitive dissonance and encourage reflection based on their own relationship and understanding with the environment, animals and their own mortality.
Houge’s work has been exhibited extensively across Europe, North America, and Asia. Key venues include Fotografiska (Stockholm), Johnson Museum (New York), DOX Centre for Contemporary Art (Prague), Museum of Photography (Los Angeles), Whatcom Museum (Washington), and Three Shadows Photography Art Centre (Beijing). His work has also been featured in curated programs with the Norwegian Embassies in Beijing, New York, Rotterdam, Prague, The Hague, and London.
Houge has delivered lectures and artist talks at major art and climate institutions and presented a TED Talk in 2012 titled Exploring Man’s Condition Through Photography. In 2021, he received the bi-annual Photographic Award, Norway’s national photography prize, in recognition of his sustained contribution in the field of environmental art.
In June 2025, Houge exhibited his retrospective exhibition, Paradise Lost, at Bomuldsfabriken Kunsthall in Arendal which consisted of twelve series exploring our relationship to Nature and culture.
New projects include Gabba, inspired by Sámi mythology and Echoes of Utopia, a meditation on the abandoned brutalist war memorials of the former Yugoslavia explore the impermanence of Human ideals and memory. Both series are ongoing and are hand made with collodion wet plate photography, developed in the 1850s,
SOLO EXHIBITIONS (SELECTED)
2025- Paradise Lost, Bomuldsfabriekn, Norway
2024 — Anthropo-Cen, Sølvberget, Stavanger
2024 — Anthropo-Cen, Buer Gallery, Oslo
2022 — Temple of Light, Bold Gallery, Prague
2021 — Residence of Impermanence, Berger Museum, Norway
2021 — Death of a Mountain, Buer Gallery, Oslo
2019 — Residence of Impermanence, Fotografiska Museum, Stockholm
2017 — Shadow Within/Rituals, Gulden Kunstverk, Drammen
2016 — In;Human Nature, TM51 Gallery, Oslo
2015 — Paradise Lost series, How Art Museum, Wenzhou
2015 — Paradise Lost series, Redtory, Guangzhou
2014 — Paradise Lost series, Three Shadows Photographic Art Centre, Beijing
2014 — Shadow Within/Darkness Burns Bright, Fineart Gallery, Oslo
2013 — Shadow Within, Hosfelt Gallery, San
