Absence – as a presence
The titled above was the opening paragraph of the curatorial statement for a recent exhibition: arms full, where I collaborated in my capacity as the founder of Female Artists Oslo, and also of the FAO art HUB. I enabled this exhibition, I reached out to Shawna Miller to offer her the opportunity to create an exhibition in our space. I did so for several reasons, because I so very deeply admire her work, because I love her as a sister (she is my sister in law), and because her journey to become a painter also enabled my own journey through me watching her finding her own voice, and making that voice into now two stunning bodies of works, that I have been so very fortunate to experience first hand.
Over the past two years I have nurtured and grown a beautiful artist collective in Oslo, the endless hours I have put into this is probably one of the reasons why the phrase “Absence - as a presence” resonated so deeply with me, on a personal level as much as on a professional level.
We are here, the women artists, that are not seen for our work, for our effort to make a career in our terms, because we have important things to say, to convey through our art.
Our stories must be told by us, through our live experiences and our interactions.
I hope you know how valuable it is for us women artists trying every day, being resilient in our pursuit to live our creative lives in a way that serves us (not looking to be a part of a system, that devalues our efforts and discourages us through the endless demands it puts on us and at times we put on ourselves being so disconnected with ourselves).
I have made myself absent from my home in too many occasions, as I pursue my own art and as I embarked on building the artist collective. But my presence is there for my children in the quality time I share with them, in the conversations about the work I do and its importance.
See us, share about us, buy our art, like, comment, write about us and above everything rebel with us, rebel with us in a destiny that perpetuates that only some are more deserving that others of living their wildest dreams, of living creative lives in their terms and of having their stories being heard and told.
I also had the absolute pleasure to get to know Maria Teicher, another artist who has now become an art sister, a witch sister and someone I look forward to be a PhD sister with in our pursuits to bring to light so much of what we have to say about the art, and artists in this world.
If you are in Oslo, come see the exhibition until Nov 9, I will be in the space the majority of the time and would gladly have visitors to chat about this stunning exhibition.
