Queer theory is ”...the idea that identities are not fixed and do not determine who we are.” Teresa de Lauretis, 1990

Epistemology – how we perceive the world around us as true or false, adequate or inadequate – and ontology, what we perceive as real in the world, is very much a question of time and place – it is the time we live in, and the conditions we live under, that decide. The key curatorial choice in this exhibition refers to the artists’ use of the body as medium. The three artists Anki King, Sol Kjøk and Elisabeth Færøy all share similar backgrounds from rural farming communities in Norway. Choosing an artistic career forced them to break with traditions and heritage – and consequently, as implied in the title of this exhibition – The World Cracked Open. Although it is a daunting task, acting against expectations and demands from others and creating distance to one’s heritage is sometimes necessary in order to grow. De Lauretis’s claim that our identities are not fixed or determine who we are represents a relative truth. Evidence suggests that our origins and heritage remain a core substance in our lives affecting our choices, actions and attitudes in a fundamental way later in life.

This exhibition investigates, in a deeper sense, the use of the body as medium as well as questioning the significance of origins and identity. In the project at hand, my theory has been that cultural understanding is an unnecessary prerequisite for identifying the issues in question. The works can be understood from a phenomenological perspective as contextual to the spectator – since – in all likelihood – we share similar experiences. In phenomenological terms – seeing the spectator and the art as one contextual situation in which reading, comprehending, perceiving or being with the artwork amalgamate to create a singular sensuous experience. The three artists Anki King, Sol Kjøk and Elisabeth Færøy Lund crack their worlds wide open through embodied artistic practices, yet remain solidly grounded in tradition. Albeit in different media, expressions and methods, they all use the actual, fictional and medial body to share their understandings. Bjørn Inge Follevaag

Additional performances on Friday, July 13, 7 pm Friday, July 20, 7 pm