Photo: Myriam Cohenca
Biography
Sandra Strømme (b. 1994, Oslo) is a Norwegian artist based in Monaco and Paris, working primarily in figurative painting and wood carving.
Her artistic journey began with three years of intensive training under Norwegian master painter Bjørn Algrim. Building on this classical foundation, she went on to complete a Master’s degree in Fine Arts at the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, where she refined her practice by integrating traditional Norwegian woodcarving techniques.
Her work has been shown in group exhibitions across France and Norway, including “(IN)ERRANCE IV” at the Library of the Sorbonne (Paris), “Spirituality – Humanity – Ecology” and “A Mixed Bag of Brilliance” at Arthouse 11 Gallery (Villefranche-sur-Mer), and at Nordberg Kirke (Oslo) in an exhibition organised by the Lion’s Club. Her practice has also been featured in international art journals.
Before dedicating herself fully to her art, Strømme followed a diverse and international academic path. She holds a MA in Medieval History from King’s College London, a Master’s in Journalism from the École Supérieure de Journalisme de Paris, a BA in History of Ideas, and a BA in History of Art from the University of Oslo. Alongside her studies, she spent several years working with the United Nations in communications, and has also worked as a freelance writer and editor.
Statement
Sandra Strømme is a Norwegian artist raised between France and Norway. Growing up between two cultures deeply shaped her way of seeing, fostering an early sensitivity to Nordic mythology, Viking ornamentation, and a cyclical understanding of time.
Her work explores interior and imagined worlds through figurative, symbol-laden scenes: domestic spaces, intimate architectures, and invented landscapes. Rooted in surrealism, her paintings often depict suspended, almost cinematic moments, where time appears to pause and the visible world gives way to psychological depth.
Trained in classical oil painting, Strømme later expanded her practice into wood carving. Painting and sculpture are inseparable in her work: her images are framed by carved wooden structures inspired by Viking interlaced forms. These frames function as thresholds, guiding the viewer inward and suggesting the entanglement of past, present, and future.
Her works echo the structure of medieval altarpieces, conceived as objects of passage between the material and the spiritual, while developing a distinctly Nordic, organic, and introspective visual language. Each piece is constructed as a symbolic narrative, inviting the viewer to linger, return, and gradually decipher what unfolds.