Introduction

Lisa Andrine Bernhoft-Sjødin: 

Hi! My name is Lisa and I’ve been working on the exhibition I Call It Art. 

An artwork doesn’t necessarily have a single truth, and not all art will always speak to everyone.  

We have assembled a selection of the art that’s being created in Norway right now. And isn’t that what contemporary art really means? Art that’s being made in our own time. In I Call It Art, you can find out for yourself what you like.  

The artworks you see here in the Light Hall were not acquired by the National Museum when they were selected for this exhibition. The curators who have selected the artworks here have sought out artists from all over Norway. They have also invited everyone who works with any form of artistic expression to submit up to three artworks. This method of organizing an exhibition is known as an ‘open submission’, and it’s new for us here at the museum. Two-thirds of the works in the exhibition were chosen from the open submission, which has contributed to expanding the kind of art that can find a place in the National Museum. 

The exhibition in the Light Hall is divided into three areas where you can experience art in three different ways. In one area, you are surrounded by art on all sides, including on the ceiling. In the next area, the artworks are more rigidly organized into straight rows. In the third area, you will enter a little separate world.  

Have a look around and see what you find. Perhaps you’ll see something you like, or something you don’t like. Perhaps just a small part of something or a complete artwork. 

The exhibition continues beyond the Light Hall. You can find out more information by scanning the QR codes in the Light Hall, as well as on TikTok and Instagram.