“Retrospective Exhibition of Artists' Film & Video Works - Norway” is a long term research project of Atopia, which will involve exhibitions, screenings, presentations, discussions and publications.

As of now local references for film & video art in Norway are almost non-existent. We borrow such references from other parts of the world where the history of this practice is written down and consequently it is claimed. However, we are well aware of the fact that artists have been experimenting with the apparatus of filmmaking in Norway at least from the early 1960s.

A representative national archive of artists' film and video works in Norway is also non-existent.

 

Our first task in this project is to locate and gather these works and then bring them into a historical perspective.

We believe this project will enrich and diversify the history of fine art in Norway. It will also contribute to the ongoing dialogue about the production of histories and the construction of identity and the collective memory. This project wishes to examine and play a role in the creation of new artistic references for experimental film and video art within the geographical frames of Norway.

 

The project is divided in three sequential parts and each part will result in a book containing a DVD and a series of exhibitions/screenings that will examine the development of artists’ film & video works in Norway. The first part of this trilogy will focus on the works that were produced in the period of 1960-90.

 

For the first step in locating such film and video works we have launched an extensive search across the country. It is essential to study all the existing collections and make a far-reaching call to artists and art institutions that can help locate the individual works and the private collections.

 

We intend to invite several other researchers and writers to work with us on this project. For textual contributions we are inviting several national as well as international voices within the contemporary art history and criticism.

 

This project will be published as a book of articles that will analyze the works and discuss their historical significance both in a global as well as in a national context, and it will be accompanied by a DVD.

 

- Atopia Stiftelse is the producer and publisher of this project.

- Project leader: Farhad Kalantary

- Project assistants: Synne Holst-Pedersen, Linn Lervik and Tone A.Gellein

- Project advisors include Toril Simonsen, Kjell Billing and Nina Schjønsby.

 

 

 

Atopia leter etter tidlige kunstfilm- og videoarbeider i Norge

Atopia forbereder nå en større retrospektiv utstilling av Norsk eksperimentell film og videokunst. Utstillingen vil bli tredelt og kronologisk, og i første omgang vil vi fokusere på tidlige arbeider som er datert frem til 1990.

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Ta gjerne kontakt snarest mulig på: info(at)atopia.no