In the Eyes of The Child

19.6.–15.8.2021, Kunsthall Oslo

In The Eyes of the Child

With works by Ahmed Umar, Bella Fasmer, Doodle Twins, Edda Gimnes, Gamle Mercedes, Guttestreker, Helene Duckert, Jibril Lateef, Julie Aida, Julius Karoubi, Lidiya Solomon, Maria Bårdsdatter Foslie, Nicole Rafiki, Sofia Quan Heggelund, Tine Poppe, Tyler Metzger and others.

Kunsthall Oslo’s youth board has curated the exhibition In the Eyes of the Child. The show explores issues around identity and aims to approach art with an open mind.

The curators say:
– In the Eyes of the Child is an attempt to see the world from a more innocent perspective. Everyone was once a child and therefore has the possibility to find this innocent perspective inside themselves. Throughout our lives we try to define our own identity. We try to find out who we are, and who we want to be. This exhibition represents many different identities and shows that the question of identity construction is not simple. Our identity is formed of all our experiences and the surroundings that shape us. There is no template for what our identity is or can be. With this exhibition we want to inspire other young people to take an interest both in art and in the issues around their own identity.

– Kunsthall Oslo is an independent gallery in Bjørvika in Oslo. With this exhibition we aim to make connections with nearby communities in Grønland, Tøyen and Gamlebyen.

The curators are Hamda Barise, Hamza Iqbal, Josra Talhioui, Julian Brito-Benestad, Mohamed Bashir, Nabila Mohamed, Philippa Taube and Saiida Mohamud.

The exhibition also includes clothing designed and made by Fra Blokka (Farhad Soufi), Frognichi (Mohamed Bashir), Wavyclub (Rune Johansen), Shit by Gåre (Liv Gåre), Marie Murby, Nabila Mohamed, Emma Grønning, Arne Thorstein Fretheim and Ruta Malinauskaite.

Alongside the exhibition, over the summer Kunsthall Oslo offers a series of workshops where young people can make their own artwork under the guidance of professional artists. Through these workshops in painting, photography, performance, dance, text writing, screenprinting and design, the exhibition will become a meeting place and a production site for young people who want to explore their own creativity. The workshop results will also be exhibited, alongside works by young people who have participated in the performance and text projects Agenda teXt, Limitless, and the music studio at Forandringshuset Grønland.

Today everyone in Norway grows up surrounded by images, and in social media everyone is a producer, as well as a product. Nevertheless, the majority of young people do not think of the art exhibited in museums and galleries as part of their world. The future of visual arts culture in Norway depends on opening up and diversifying possibilities for young people from all walks of life to take part. This is the context in which Kunsthall Oslo is beginning a long-term project, the Oslo Art and Knowledge Workshop, to develop new collaborations with and opportunities for young people growing up in the local area. The exhibition In the Eyes of the Child, and the workshops that accompany it, are the first stage in this project.

The Oslo Art and Knowledge Workshop is a collaboration with Agenda X and Forandringshuset Grønland. The project has been supported by Arts Council Norway, the Savings Bank Foundation DNB, the Bergesen Foundation, Fritt Ord, and Kulturtanken.