Kim Laybourns (b. 1988) works deal with the transcendence of our conceptions of reality, and its inherent or adopted possibilities and limitations. Among these are the constructions and concepts that are taken for granted as definitive conditions, carried forward by political, religious and economic ambitions, among others.

I work with the human-centric worldview and concept of nature, as well as the tension between the authentic and the unnatural, which influences how we approach everything from ecosystems and biodiversity, production and resources, to gender and sexuality. Thematically, my projects fluctuate between the fantastic and the factual, and function as indirect portraits of humanity, through our handling and relating to the surrounding nature. A complicated relationship that has developed tremendously over time and civilizations. I use this to form notions of a heightened reality that examines the position of humanity, by virtue of everything we touch, and that surrounds and shapes us.

The human being’s existential connection with the natural surroundings and the more-than-human is a recurring motif in Laybourn’s work, which engages with the idea of nature as a socio-cultural construction. Nature is presented as a subject, as an active participant and brought to the forefront, rather than being relegated to a decorative backdrop. This is evident in my series of reliefs Homobotanik, where an anthropomorphized nature, a spirited and humanized landscape filled with human-like eyes gaze observantly at the viewer. It is not a passive almost inanimate part of the human environment, but an observing and self-willed surrounding nature.

Kim Laybourn is a Danish visual artist based in Norway. Laybourn’s practice is research-based and spans across a wide range of media—including text, video, sound, music, animation, drawing, sculpture, and installation. Laybourn holds an MFA degree from the Oslo National Academy of the Arts. 

In recent years, Laybourn’s work has been presented in both solo and group exhibitions at institutions and galleries such as: Norwegian Sculptors Association (2025), Oslo (NO); Oulu Museum of Art (2025), Oulu (FI); Galleri Box (2024), Gothenburg (SE); The Autumn Exhibition (2024), Kunstnernes Hus, Oslo (NO); NADA East Broadway (2024), New York City (USA); Annka Kultys Gallery (2023), London (UK); Galleri F 15 (2023), Moss (NO); Babel (2022), Trondheim (NO); The National Museum (2022), Oslo (NO); Wäinö Aaltonen Museum of Art (2022), Turku (FI); Podium (2020), Oslo (NO).