Riisa Gundesen (she/her) is an oil painter based in Edmonton, AB, on Treaty 6 Territory. Her practice deals with self-portraiture and still life, exploring intersections of personal narrative, gender, consumerism, and the abject. Her paintings have been shown in galleries and artist-run centres across North America; her newest body of work has been exhibited in major group shows at Contemporary Calgary, and the Esplanade Arts And Heritage Centre, and in recent solo shows in Ottawa, ON, and Utica, NY. She has also been featured in such publications as Galleries West and The Capilano Review, and her work is included in the collections of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, and the University of Saskatchewan. 

Gundesen received her BFA from the University of Lethbridge in 2012, and her MFA from the University of Saskatchewan in 2018. She currently teaches painting and drawing at the University of Alberta and MacEwan University, and is the 2024/2025 Harcourt House ARC Artist in Residence.