PRAKSIS is a transnational platform for art, research and learning based in Oslo, Norway
PRAKSIS was established as a charity in 2015. We connect diverse artists, thinkers and publics to Norway’s creative ecology via thematic programmes that focus on urgent issues of our time. Dedicated to inclusivity, we seek to inspire and support artistic creation, bringing new creative networks and communities into being. Our core activities include organising and running artists’ residencies, staging public events, youth programming, online and in-print publishing, and we recently launched a podcast.
PRAKSIS places peer-to-peer dialogue at the heart of its approach. Our projects respond to the needs and concerns of creators, art professionals and socially-oriented organisations across borders and disciplines. Since PRAKSIS’s founding in 2016 we’ve worked with over sixty partners ranging from national museums, universities and leading art centres to wrestling clubs and autonomous activist networks.
PRAKSIS aims to demystify cultural production. Our public programming offers insight into creative processes and debates, seeking to enable the widest possible engagement with creative practice.
PRAKSIS is run by a small, dedicated team, currently made up of 2.5 full time positions. Most of us are Oslo-based artists and writers. All of us bring international connections and perspectives to our PRAKSIS roles.
Larry Achiampong and David Blandy perform during the launch of PRAKSIS in 2016
Guiding Principles
Support creative practice through group interaction and the sharing of research
Create new, lasting links and mutual understanding between individuals and organisations locally, nationally and across international borders
Increase public insight into the ideas and processes at the core of creative practice, opening art up to diverse audiences
Address topics of contemporary relevance, contributing to international creative practice and discourse
Encourage environmental awareness and operate in a sustainable fashion
Stay flexible, maximising the organisation's ability to make the most of new opportunities.
Team
Nicholas John Jones - Founder and Artistic Director
PRAKSIS is the brainchild of artist Nicholas John Jones. A graduate of the University of the Arts London, the Slade School of Fine Art, London and Konstfack, Stockholm, Jones has taught at Oslo National Academy of the Arts (KHiO), Wimbledon College of Art, and Manchester Metropolitan University. He has curated exhibitions and coordinated discussions and gallery events in Norway, the UK, Sweden, and Australia. He has contributed arts journals including: Artforum, Kunstkritikk, Billedkunst and FiskFrisk.
Rachel Withers - Co-founder of PRAKSIS
An art critic, Artforum International frequent contributor, executive member of AICA and Reader in Art Writing at Bath Spa University, Rachel Withers is PRAKSIS’s key advisor and co-founder. She assists Nicholas Jones on PRAKSIS’s conceptual design, forward planning and organisational networking, and collaborates on diverse practical aspects of PRAKSIS delivery. Her work with Nicholas includes ongoing evaluation of and reflection on PRAKSIS outcomes in relation to its guiding principles and working processes.
Charlotte Teyler - Chief of Operations
Charlotte Teyler holds degrees in Global Studies (University of Sydney, Australia) and International Relations (Nottingham University, Ningbo, China). She previously worked for Corporate Responsibility Group as Programme Coordinator. Her specialist field of interest is sustainable development, and she is on the board of FIVAS (Foreningen for Internasjonale Vannstudier). She provides essential and wide-ranging support for PRAKSIS's daily operation and future development, fundraising and networking, research and coordination, translation and advice on issues of sustainability.
Kristian Schrøder - Programme Manager
Visual artist and curator Kristian Schrøder grew up in Denmark. He attended Jutland Art Academy (DK), graduating with an MFA in 2015. Since moving to Oslo in 2016 he has previously worked in management, curation and communications at Kunsthall Oslo, alongside freelance consultancy jobs. Kristian combines his work for PRAKSIS with joint leadership of Oslo’s artist-run space Pachinko, alongside curator Mathilde Carbel.
Marit Silsand - Curator of Learning
Marit Silsand is a photographer and visual artist with degrees from Gerrit Rietveld Academy (Amsterdam), San Francisco Art Institute (San Francisco) and Fatamorgana Photo Art School (Copenhagen). A participant in PRAKSIS’s first residency, New Technology and the Post-human (2016), Marit has extensive experience as an arts educator for children and teens. She
has taught at institutions including Preus Museum,Tegnerforbundet, Akershus Kunstsenter, and at asylum centres in Norway and Greece. She is a board member at Østlandsutstillingen and was previously Chair of the board at Kunstforeningen Verdens Ende.
Sayed Sattar Hasan - Project Lead PRAKSIS Development Forum (PDF)
Responsible for research, planning and facilitation of group meetings, Sattar Hassan is an artist who has exhibited internationally. A participant in residency 11, Monumental—Temporal (2018), he holds an MA from Goldsmiths, London and has long experience in project development and management of artistic projects, including over two years running an artist led- peer support group at NN Contemporary (UK).
Super Ted - Motivational Executive
Originally from Australia, Super Ted picked up a UK passport that has allowed him to make Norway his home. After five years in Norway he is fairly confident of being able to remain after Brexit despite being paid in dog treats. Having been with PRAKSIS since its conception, his core duties include ice-breaking, emotional support and conflict resolution. He has a special interest in discourses that surround art, food and gamification.
