Actions of Art and Solidarity

Actions of Art and Solidarity’s public programme is available digitally

“Actions of Art and Solidarity explores what art is capable of when put to political use.” 
–Nicholas Norton, Kunstkritikk

The exhibition Actions of Art and Solidarity, curated by Office for Contemporary Art Norway (OCA), is the result of a partnership between OCA and Kunstnernes Hus in Oslo. It presents a total of 76 works by artists, activists, collectives and thinkers from around the world catalyzing cultural, socio-political and environmental solidarities across different geographies and contexts from the 1950s to the present day. The exhibition is now available digitally to let audiences from across the globe experience the artworks, learn about the artists and dive into the stories on display. Watch curator Katya García-Antón (Director/Chief Curator, Office for Contemporary Art Norway) walk you through the exhibition while explaining the main themes here.

Click here for a 3-D tour of the exhibition.

Actions of Art and Solidarity (see the full list of participating artists here) includes Indigenous perspectives and focuses on micro-narratives of solidarity from the Cold War era to the present day, whilst bringing together a range of historic pieces, contemporary pieces as well as new commissions. The latter includes various instances of solidarity in both Norwegian history and recent history commissioned by OCA, such as the performance by Norwegian artist Maritea Dæhlin, I guess you have a lot of questions. A bedtime story. This performance consists of a sound installation performed overnight for audience members located in separate hotel rooms in Oslo, and will take place between March 15 and March 20. Read more about Dæhlin’s performance here.

Another commission especially made for this exhibition is entitled The Solidarity Patchwork and comprises a textile work, a collection of texts and a sound library offering stories of solidarity connected to the 40-year-old solidarity association, The Norwegian Solidarity Committee for Latin America. The patchwork has been generated through the solidarity work of two of its leading members, Astrid and Ingrid Fadnes, who will be hosting a Patchwork Studio in the exhibition on March 11th. Learn more here.

OCA collaborated with the editorial platform Chimurenga on a week-long radio programme on Pan African Space Station (PASS)’s radio channel. The broadcast included conversations and recordings that explored forms of solidarity during the festival FESTAC ‘77, discussions on Pan Africanism, Afro-Asian movements and tricontinentalism, the South African liberation movement. Listen here.

On March 13th, the public is invited to a digital guided tour, which will include human-rights activist and cultural critic Khalid Salimi, who is also the director for Melahuset and Melafestivalen in Oslo. He will reflect on the works and collectives on display based on his own work in solidarity and activism over many decades. A video of the tour will be available on Kunstnernes Hus’ and OCA’s social media channels and website.

The public programme further includes three film screenings, available on Kunstnernes Hus’ website. In the Jungle There Is Much to Do (1974) is a beautifully animated film based on real political events, drawn from writer Mauricio Gatti’s own story of political imprisonment in Uruguay in the early 1970s (watch it here). The second screening presents the award-winning animated documentary The Wanted 18 (2014) that tells the story of the most powerful army in the Middle East chasing 18 cows (watch it here). Both films are available online until March 21st. The two award-winning films Imagining Emanuel and Out of Norway were also presented in earlier online screenings. They recount the story of Emanuel, an illegal refugee in Norway whose lack of identity papers prevented him from returning home. Both films are directed and produced by Thomas Østbye, one of the most original voices in Norwegian documentary film today. More information here.

Please note that the opening hours and public programme might be subject to change to accommodate Norway’s Covid-19 regulations. For updated information please visit kunstnerneshus.no.