Education
MFA Visual Art & Art Theory, 2009 - 2011, The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Schools of Visual Art, Copenhagen, DK.
BA (hons) Fine Art & History of Art, 2006 - 2009 Goldsmiths, London, UK.
Contemporary Art Practice, 2005 - 2006, Metáfora Centro d'Art Contemporany, Barcelona, ES.
Titulació del grau en disseny de moda, 2002 - 2003 ESDI (1st year), Escola Superior de Disseny, Universitat Ramon Llull, Barcelona, ES.
Collections
Represented in SMK, National Gallery of Denmark's collection, Copenhagen; the collection of the Aalborg Municipality's Art Foundation; and private collections.
Selected exhibitions
See selected solo and group exhibitions here.
Art publications
A Tone or Two, 2023, sound and text work, part of series Vibrational Semantics, published by Oscilliations and Lydgalleriet (Bergen, NO).
Episode X & XI, 2020, tape with sound composition and recording of performance, curated and published by Julia Katharina Thiemann in relation to Episode performance series, Ludwigshafen, DE.
8 hours? 0,- desire, 2016, sound work/publication, produced for the serie Not not work, published by Hour Editions, Copenhagen.
Work Book, 2015, text and image contribution. Edited by Kristina Bengtsson and Kevin Malcolm. Published by Hours Editions, Copenhagen.
Stage_Space_Eternity, 2010, published by The Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Scools of Visual Arts, Copenhagen.
Grants and awards
2015 - 2024, working grants, The Danish Arts Foundation and Den Hielmstierne-Rosencroneske Stiftelse.
2019, honorary award, Aage og Yelva Nimbs Fond.
Selected texts and publications
Person: Tekster om ligeværd, sprog og magt (Person: Texts on equity, language, and power), anthology including texts by Ingrid Baraka, Drude Dahlerup, Ida Marie Hede, Shëkufe Tadayoni Heiberg, Merete Pryds Helle, Liv Helm, Nazila Kivi, Henriette Laursen, Moussa Mchangama, Ehm Eg Miltersen, Cecilie Nørgaard, Natalia Rogaczewska, Elias Sadaq, Marie Thams, and Naima Yasin. Edited by Rebekka Elisabeth Anker-Møller and Marie Thams. Published by Gads Forlag, November, 2024.
"Key in Hand: The Artist-Run as Professional Gesture and Urgent Necessity" in Death to the Curator - Artist-run culture in the Nordic region, Kunsthall Oslo, 2021.
Progression - produktion - acceleration, essay on acceleration, progression and working culture, published by M100, Odense in relation to Hannah Toticki Anbert's exhibition in August 2020.
Mellem indlevelse og overlevelse – kunsten og verdenskontakten, essay reflecting on art, lock-down and society, published in April, 2020 on IDOART.DK.
Kritisk masse i flydende form?, essay published October 18, 2018 on IDOART.DK, and in Billedkunstneren (BKFs magazine) in December 2018.
So close, yet so far away, text in relation to Line Sanvad Mengers' exhibition SO CLOSE at rum46, Aarhus, DK, May - June 2015.
”Letter to Mr. Bartleby” in the exhibition catalogue Exit11. Published by The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Scools of Visual Art, Copenhagen, 2011.
Tracing the borders: A collective reaction from emerging European artists to their contemporary cultural environment – European text exchange produced in relation to Trondheim bi-annual, Manufacturing Today, 2010. Ed. Sara Walters.
Potential line of thought: A reaction to a seemingly wide open door, text produced for the exhibition: “X” PRESENTS… HEART OF DIXIE UK, London, 2009.
“Response to Letters to a Young Poet” in the exhibition catalogue Goldsmiths Fine Art & History of Art BA 2009. Published by Goldsmiths College, London, 2009.
Residencies and commisions
Decoration of Strøbyskolen, primary school, DK, 2016.
Artist in residency, 2014 - 2015, 700IS Reindeerland, Egilsstaðir/Reykjavík, Iceland.
Teaching
Marie Thams is External censor, The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Schools of Visual Art 2022 - 2026,
and has in recent years been a Guest teacher at Bergen Academy of Art and Design, NO; The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Schools of Visual Art, Copenhagen; and Funen Art Academy, Odense, DK; Malmö Art Academy, SE,
as well as conducted workshops at Sound Art Lab, Struer, DK; VERA School of Art and Design, Copenhagen; Milestone Institute, Budapest, HU;, Vandrehallen Kunsthal/Hillerød HF, DK among other places.
Editing
Editor of Trust, a Core Condition: Malmö Art Academy 25 Years. Edited together with Maj Hasager and Matts Leiderstam. Published by Malmö Art Academy and Lund University, 2020.
Editor of Malmö Art Academy's Yearbook, 2013 – 2019 and 2021.
Editor of MAKING ROOM. Nordic Artists, Institutions and Artist Institutions in the Modern Breakthrough and Today. Edited together with Hannah Heilmann. Published by Den Frie, Copenhagen, 2014.
Editor of Kaffebord 2010 and Kaffebord 2011, Den Frie Centre of Contemporary Art, Copenhagen.
Curatorial and organisational experience
Initiatior and developer of the travelling project person – i bevægelse, together with curator Rebekka Elisabeth Anker-Møller, unfolding across Denmark at Rønnebæksholm Kunsthal in Næstved, Copenhagen Contemporary, Kunsthal Nord in Aalborg and Kunsthal Aarhus, October 2022 to June 2023. More information here.
Curator of The Copenhagen Declaration, Jens Haaning / Santiago Sierra. At The Foundry (a/political), Maubourguet, FR, June - October 2015.
Assistant curator of We will push the ship from shore and let it drift toward the darkest of oceans: Malmö Art Academy visits Malmö Art Museum in collaboration with Joachim Koester, Emily Wardill, Malmö Art Academy and Malmö Art Museum.
Exhibition at Malmö Art Museum, June - August 2015.
Guest curator, Morphing, 700IS 10 year anniversary show. The Nordic House, Reykjavík, IS, January 2015.
Initiator and curator of The Copenhagen Declaration, Jens Haaning / Santiago Sierra. Co-curator Kim Kilde, realised in collaboration with Faurschou Foundation. October 2014 - February 2015 at Faurschou Foundation, Copenhagen.
Project organiser of MAKING ROOM: Nordic Artists, Institutions and Artist Institutions of the Modern Breakthrough and Today. Two-day symposium held at Den Frie, Copenhagen, October 2013, and related publication. Collaboration with Hannah Heilmann and partner institutions Den Frie, The University of Leeds and The Hirschsprung Collection.
UKK 10 years anniversary, Overgaden - Institute of Contemporary Art, Copenhagen, June - July 2012. Co-organised by board members of UKK.
Curator of MERGING GROUNDS Performance Festival, Den Frie Centre of Contemporary Art, Copenhagen, August 2011. Co-curators Kirse Junge-Stevnsborg and Malene Ratcliff.
Positions of trust
2022 – present
Chairperson, Danish Visual Artists (Billedkunstnernes Forbund, BKF), part time position.
2021 – 2022
Vice chairperson, Danish Visual Artists (Billedkunstnernes Forbund, BKF).
2017 - 2020
Member, Board of Representatives at Danish Arts Foundation (Statens Kunstfonds Repræsentantskab).
2012 - 2015
Chairperson for UKK (Young Art Workers)'s board. Voluntary work. Non-profit organisation working to improve young artists and artworkers' working conditions in Denmark (ukk.dk), Vice chairperson 2011 - 2012.
2012 - 2013
UKK representative in The Council of Danish Artists (Dansk Kunstnerråd).