Mari-Helene Hvalbye: A Colourful Rebellion
Exploring emotion, storytelling, and human connection through illustration and fine art
Mari-Helene Hvalbye is a Norwegian fine artist and illustrator based in Oslo. With a background in Illustration from Kingston University London, she creates expressive works that combine vivid colour, bold compositions, and deeply personal storytelling. Working across drawing, painting, writing, and illustration, her practice explores psychology, identity, spirituality, emotion, and the relationship between internal and external worlds.
Inspired by everything from rave culture and electronic music to mythology, literature, and everyday encounters, Hvalbye creates immersive visual universes filled with character, empathy, and vulnerability.
Creating as a Necessity
For Hvalbye, creativity is not simply a profession but an essential part of living. She describes art as a way of externalising her inner world—a flow of energy that needs expression.
Much of her work is rooted in lived experience, drawing inspiration from people, music, subcultures, and the emotional complexity of everyday life. Through painting, illustration, and writing, she seeks to create authentic work that reflects both personal and collective experiences.
Turning Adversity into Creation
A defining moment in Hvalbye’s artistic journey came after finishing her studies in London, when a serious illness left her hospitalised for several weeks. During this period she began creating a series of drawings that later became the foundation for an ongoing graphic novel project.
The experience transformed her relationship to creativity. Confronting vulnerability and uncertainty gave her the confidence to take creative risks, trust her instincts, and create without fear of judgment.
Our Approach
Mari-Helene Hvalbye’s work combines visual storytelling, illustration, fine art, and writing. Her practice is driven by curiosity, empathy, and a fascination with human behaviour, subcultures, and imagination.
Whether working on paintings, illustrations, or graphic narratives, she builds worlds populated by expressive characters, layered symbolism, and emotional depth. Her work balances playfulness with seriousness, creating space for both reflection and connection.
Artist Reflection
"My work is a colourful, loving rebellion."
— MARI-HELENE HVALBYE
PROFILE
Mari-Helene Hvalbye
CATEGORY
Fine Art & Illustration
LOCATION
Oslo, Norway
DISCIPLINES
Illustration
Fine Art
Drawing
Painting
Visual Storytelling
Graphic Novels
DELIVERABLES
Illustration Projects
Fine Art Works
Exhibitions
Graphic Novel Development
Creative Collaborations
Commissioned Artwork
THEMES
Storytelling
Psychology
Identity
Empathy
Subculture
Spirituality
COLLABORATION
Collective Oslo