Has My Place Forgotten Me?

Through the Springbrett project, young curators are offered an opportunity to exhibit at Kistefos. An open call invites curators aged 21-35 to submit their exhibition concepts based on works from the Christen Sveaas' Art Foundation.

The jury unanimously awarded the inaugural edition of Springbrett to a curator whose proposal was both intellectually rigorous and poetic. The proposal focused on the impact of migration on artistic production and the construction of aesthetic practices shaped by acts of migration, a highly relevant and sensitive topic today. The proposal was confidently formulated, demonstrating the necessary skills to tackle this complex subject. It also linked placemaking and community, using a relational model of curating that the jury found original and inspiring. The selection and combination of works from the foundation’s collection resonated deeply with the theme of the proposal, elevating and expanding the exhibition project. The jury believed the selected curator, motivated to gain experience in collection-based curating, could grow from this opportunity with further nurturing.

Noor Bhangu, the chosen curator and scholar, bases her practice in relational curatorial aesthetics. Through her curatorial interventions, she addresses politics of history, memory, and materiality, challenging dominant histories of representation. Her previous projects included Not the Camera, But the Filing Cabinet (2018) at Gallery 1C03, the excess is ritual (2023) at Dunlop Gallery, and Homorientalism (2023) at Smack Mellon. Her exhibition, Has My Place Forgotten Me?, was a collection-based group exhibition employing migrant aesthetics to explore pressing questions around placemaking and belonging.

Using works from the Christen Sveaas’ Art Foundation as a starting point, the exhibition brought together artists working across diverse locales, histories, and media, reflecting on the field of migrant aesthetics. It critically studied the aesthetic category through various acts and effects of migration, returning to sites of movement and change.

The jury comprised key figures from the Norwegian and international art and culture scene: Dr. Isabella Maidment – Curator, ARoS Aarhus Art Museum, William Flatmo – Director, Christen Sveaas' Art Collection, Ruben Steinum – Director, Office for Contemporary Art Norway, Apichaya Wanthiang – Artist Funded by Sparebankstiftelsen DNB

Has My Place Forgotten Me? opened at Nybruket 2nd Floor on Friday, June 14th. The Springbrett project aimed to raise the profile of young curators, artists, and art educators in the Norwegian art field, supported by funding from Sparebankstiftelsen DNB.

Artists represented included: Anna Eva-Bergman, Taner Ceylan, Gardar Eide Einarsson,Theaster Gates, Anish Kapoor, Christian Lemmerz, Ken Matsubara, Simphiwe Ndzube, Hannah Ryggen, Kuldeep Singh, Kjell Torriset, Ahmed Umar, Fredrik Værslev