Since the first encounter

Curator: Oyun Daria Testo (previosuly Daria Testoedova)

Exhibition was commissioned for the ISDAGER Festival, by the Icelandic Association in Norway, along with the Embassy of Iceland to Norway

Since the first encounter with the distant land, Norway and Iceland stayed attuned. Tangled history and surroundings fostered the emergence of differences between the two nations. Unreachable fjords, hard weather and the frigid Norwegian Sea have contributed to a sense of geographical and cultural distance between them. Yet, the voices of the Norse sea travellers, pilgrims and those who were seeking a new life have been echoing for centuries in the towering mountains of Iceland. Their stories have been resonating in the flowing glacial waters, breathing life into nature and transforming myth into reality. 

This anniversary exhibition will showcase a variety of talent that stems from the Icelandic and Norwegian coexistence and historical kinship. In the halls of Gamle Munch, you will see the artworks created by nine Icelandic, Norwegian and Sapmi women, whose lives have intertwined between the two distinct localities who continue old traditions through multi-media storytelling.