Press release -
MUNCH PRESENTS SOLO OSLO WITH SANDRA MUJINGA
22.01.2022–03.04.2022
Sandra Mujinga is the first artist in the SOLO OSLO, an ambitious new series of contemporary art commissions at MUNCH.
SOLO OSLO offers artists and mediators based in Oslo the opportunity to develop their practice. Sandra Mujinga (b. 1989) – one of Norway’s most prominent young artists – and mediator Zeenat Amiri (b. 1988) both examine questions of belonging and alienation in their work.
It may be hard to hide in today’s digital culture where people’s lives can be tracked and documented in detail. At the same time, the Internet offers infinite opportunities to recreate and manipulate one’s image, to seek cover behind avatars or clone oneself on social media.
This is the backdrop for Sandra Mujinga’s solo exhibition at MUNCH. In one of the museum’s most spectacular exhibition spaces with its eight-meter-high ceiling, Mujinga has created an installation in which three monster-like sculptures project moving images of an animated figure through semi-transparent Plexiglas walls. Visitors’ shadows merge with the figure’s, whose form is inspired by cartoon superheroes, science fiction and what the artist refers to as “speculative deep-sea creatures”. The figure can be described as “post-human” in that it is neither animal nor human, real or imaginary, but a shapeshifter. The installation is bathed in Mujinga’s characteristic green light and accompanied by an ambient soundtrack, which creates an alienating, almost ethereal atmosphere in the exhibition space.
In her mediation project, Zeenat Amiri proposes an alternative form of museum spectatorship, which is more concerned with visitors’ immediate experiences of artworks than with pre-existing knowledge. Read more about this project on the exhibition page here
SOLO OSLO is generously supported by Talent Norway and Canica. The exhibition series is intended as a contribution to the local art scene by supporting emerging artists and mediators in developing new projects. MUNCH has initially planned for five solo exhibitions in the period 2022 to 2026.
- Contemporary art is an integral part of the programming at MUNCH. By working closely with young artists and mediators with new approaches, we become more relevant as a museum and can attract new audience groups. With our dedicated staff, MUNCH is committed to supporting Norwegian artists and mediators in the early stages of their careers. Stability and longevity are paramount when working with developing a career in the arts and we are delighted to be supported in this endeavour by Talent Norway and Canica AS. It is crucial for MUNCH to generate new income and projects with both public and private funding. We are, therefore, delighted to finally present the first edition of this exhibition series, says director of MUNCH, Stein Olav Henrichsen.
- Sandra Mujinga is one of the most exciting artists working today. Her practice is evocative of the science fiction writers she is inspired by. Her installations imagine new worlds, propose alternative scenarios and create other beings. At the same time, there is something in her works that resonate with us on a visceral level as humans. Mujinga creates sensory experiences that open up uncharted vistas of understanding and new routes to reflection around profound topics such as life, death, time, visibility and people’s relationships with other creatures and each other, says curator for the exhibition, Tominga O’Donnell.
Explore more about the exhibition and the artist here
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MUNCH is home to the world's largest collection of works by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch. 22 October 2021, MUNCH will open in a brand new building on Oslo’s waterfront. The bespoke structure, designed by estudio Herreros, will house more than 26,000 works that Edvard Munch bequeathed to the City of Oslo. The museum also manages collections donated by Rolf Stenersen, Amaldus Nielsen and Ludvig Ravensberg.
The new museum will trace the artist’s profound influence both on modern art and on artists through to the present day. Alongside displays of iconic artworks from the renowned permanent collection, temporary exhibitions will show Edvard Munch’s lasting influence in his own contemporary society, as well as on today’s generation of artists.
Visitors will experience the highlights of Edvard Munch’s oeuvre, in parallel with a wide-ranging programme of cultural events and experiences for visitors of all ages. From its location in Bjørvika, with unparalleled views of the Oslo Fjord, the museum will offer an extensive program of art and cultural experiences across thirteen floors.
