FORCE
Voices in Public Art:
Mapping Freedom of Speech and
Expression in the Nordic Region
OSLO, Fri 17. April at 09:00
Voices in Public Art: Mapping Freedom of Speech and Expression in the Nordic Region will assess the current state of public art and the conditions for freedom of expression in the Nordic region today. With perspectives from across the Nordics, the conference will map the current landscape and highlight key issues related to art, democracy, and freedom of expression.
Friday 17. Apr at University Aula, Oslo
Program:
Venue: Domus BibliothecaKl. 09.00 Registration and coffee
Venue: University Aula Kl. 09:30
I Want to Speak
Tara Abdullah Mohammed Sharif, Artist
Welcome
Kristine K. Wessel, Curator and Project Manager, FORCE/Mesén
Opening of the Conference: Culture Shapes the Future of the Nordics
Kristin Danielsen, Director, Nordic Culture Fund
Keynote: Threats Against and Challenges for Artistic Freedom
Jan Lothe Eriksen, Freemuse
kl. 10.40 Coffee Break
kl. 11.10 Session 1: Artistic Freedom of Expression
The Sound Project
Tara Abdullah Mohammed Sharif, Artist
Art, Culture and the Erosion of Free Speech
Asbjørn Grønstad, Professor of Visual Culture, University of Bergen
How Can We Safeguard Artistic Integrity and Freedom in a Time of Change?
Katarina Renman Claesson, Federal Lawyer, The Artists’ Association of Sweden
Rights, Freedoms and Political Change
Moussa Mchangama, Author and Co-founder, In futurum
Panel discussion: Moderated by Celina Jerman Bright-Taylor, Executive Director, Safemuse
Asbjørn Grønstad, Katarina Renman Claesson, and Moussa Mchangama.
kl. 12.25 Lunch
Venue: Domus Academica kl. 13.15 Session 2: From Idea to Realization: Artists and Commissioners in Public Space
Excitement and Exhaustion in Materializing Thought-Forms in Public Space
Lea Porsager, Artist
Centering Artists and Artistic Processes in the Government Quarter
Drew Snyder, Senior Curator, KORO
Artist Initiated Artwork in Public Space: In Search of Magic – A Proposal for a New Constitution for the Republic of Iceland
Libia Castro and Ólafur Ólafsson, Artist Team
Panel discussion: Moderated by Per Gunnar Eeg-Tverbakk, Curator, Head of Development, and Acting Section Leader at City of Oslo Art Collection
Lea Porsager, Drew Snyder, Libia Castro, and Ólafur Ólafsson.
kl. 14.20 Coffee Break
kl. 14.50 Session 3: Art, Language, and Public Debate
Wages in Heaven
Marianne Heier, Artist
Ultimately, It Is About Economics, Not Aesthetics: How Economic Discourse Took Over Art Criticism
Juha-Heikki Tihinen, Art historian and Curator, Pro Artibus
Presentation
Pauliina Feodoroff, Artist
Panel discussion: Moderated by Cecilie Sachs Olsen, Professor of Art and Society, OsloMet
Marianne Heier, Juha-Heikki Tihinen, Christina Hætta
Open Mic and Closing Remarks
Kristine K. Wessel, Curator and Project Manager, FORCE/Mesén
The conference is organized in collaboration with The Finnish-Norwegian Cultural Institute.
The event was supported by the Nordic Culture Fund, the City of Oslo, and The Finnish-Norwegian Cultural Institute.
Through knowledge sharing, case studies, and conversations, we will explore how artists and actors in the art field navigate a public sphere marked by increased polarization and growing pressure on freedom of expression. The conference will serve as a meeting place to identify shared challenges and strategies, and to explore and discuss experiences and practices from across the Nordic region.
We ask which forces are attempting to limit freedom of expression, and which methods we have to strengthen it in response. To what extent are artists today affected by harassment, censorship, and self-censorship? What support, trust, and frameworks do artists need to work freely in public spaces? What challenges arise at the moment when an artwork is realized and encounters audiences, media, and public debate? Can controversy and engagement around public art help strengthen freedom of expression, and why do we so often fail to turn conflict into constructive dialogue?
The conference aims to facilitate the exchange of experiences and shared reflection across the Nordic region, and marks the beginning of a series of conferences that will build on the insights and issues raised here.
FORCE
Voice in Public Art is part of the initiative FORCE – a platform for artistic freedom of expression and democratic dialogue. FORCE aims to bring together participants from across the Nordic region for a current, interdisciplinary discussion on the role of art in the public sphere, and to serve as a platform for strengthening preparedness for artists working in public spaces.