Tanja Nis-Hansen (b. 1988, Denmark) currently residing in Berlin, makes emotionally charged paintings that explore the body as a site of vulnerability, resistance, and disconnection in contemporary life. Her figures often appear paused in states of waiting, resting, or breakdown—gestures that reflect on exhaustion, illness, care, and the invisible labor that surrounds them. Drawing from her own experiences, she weaves together personal, social, and psychological themes, using recurring motifs like spiral staircases, clinical interiors, and fragmented text to evoke the tensions between stillness and collapse.
Her painterly language blends theatrical composition with references to performance, literature, and art history. Flat, stage-like spaces and stylized bodies create a sense of emotional distance, while recurring environments suggest loops of anxiety, caretaking, and reflection. Her works speak to the complexity of embodiment, especially in relation to gendered expectations, family, and the systems—economic, cultural, medical—that shape how we inhabit our bodies.
Nis-Hansen is currently represented by Sans titre, Paris. Other recent presentations include Galerie im Turm (Berlin), Harkawik (New York), Union Pacific (London, Condo), and Mécènes du Sud (Montpellier). Her work is held in the permanent collections of the Danish Arts Foundation and the New Carlsberg Foundation. In 2026, she will present solo exhibitions at Kasseler Kunstverein Museen (Kassel), Five Churches (Los Angeles), and OTP (Copenhagen). ...
