MOMENTUM 12: Together as to gather

MOMENTUM 12: Together as to gather officially opened on Saturday, June 10, with an incredible foam action by German artist, Stephanie Lüning; karaoke with Indonesian collective Gudskul; and a performance by the Blikkåpnerne (16-19 year olds collaborating with MOMENTUM).

Curated by Tenthaus—a diverse group of artists and art workers from a variety of cultural backgrounds—the 12th edition includes collaborations with over 90 artists, collectives, and institutions from Norway and around the world and features a constellation of projects ranging from commissioned artworks to a dynamic and community-oriented live programme of discursive and spontaneous events, all of which unfold in the Galleri F 15 exhibition space, on the grounds of the gallery on the island of Jeløy, and across the city of Moss.

As this is the first time the biennale is curated by an art collective, Tenthaus wanted to reflect this in an approach that is less about a unified curatorial standpoint, but instead more of a reflection of the complex polyphony of voices that make up collective work. 

There is no specific overarching theme, other than a desire to gather and share experiences. Tenthaus chose to gather what excites, inspires, and interests each of its members, assembled to see how these practices could start conversations with each other and between the collective, the artists and the community. 

Over the next four months, Together as to gather will be in constant flow and expansion, re-shaping its form to allow for ongoing, open, multifaceted, and elastic conversations and encounters that will seed further gatherings, encouraging us all to experience different types of togetherness, again and again.

Among the commissioned projects are Enrique Guadarrama Solis (Mexico), The P.R.I.N.T. Chronicles (2023); Gudskul (Indonesia), Stitching Ecosystems: Gudkitchen-​Tentskul (2023); Anawana Haloba (Zambia), When we continue living in stars, a conversation with Hannah Ryggen; So Yo Hen (Taiwan), Hua-shan-qiang (2013/2023); Ann Cathrin Hertling and Marte Huke (Norway), Can I breathe in it? (working title) (2023); Thomas Iversen (Norway), Byens flass [City-dandruff] (2023); Morag Keil, Untitled (2023); Stephanie Lüning (Germany), Island of Foam - Version # XXV / Coloured Barn (2023) and Collectivity Painting # I & II – MOMENTUM Biennale (2023); Alessandro Marchi (Italy), Ingenmannsretten (2023); Germain Ngoma (Zambia), Forest (2023); Andrea Parkins (USA), The Stray II (2021–2023); Margrethe Pettersen (Sápmi) and Line Solberg Dolmen (Norway), Conversations with what runs deep (2023); Fotobook DUMMIES Day (Taiwan), Bread and Butter Bookshop (2023); Kate Rich (UK), Feral Business Training Camp (2023); Jaanus Samma (Estonia), National Utopia (2023); WET (Czech Republic), Wetcation (2023); Nayara Leite (Brazil), In Search of Rainbows (2022); Marek Sobocinski (Poland),  SLAVA (2023); Gabo Camnitzer (Sweden / USA), 50 Million Windows (2023); Blikkåpnerne (Norway), Rage room (2023);  Luiz Roque (Brazil), S (2017); Dáiddadállu Artist Collective (Sápmi), Untitled (2023); Salangen Biennale/IPIHAN (Norway), Info / Merch (2023); P1 resident artists Jasper Siverts, Ana Marques Engh and Bendik-Bendik Syversætre Johannessen, Things Don’t Run We (2023); Lise Linnert (Norway), Colours for hope and equality – picnic blankets (2018–2023); and many more.

The live programme of radio broadcasts, dinners, conversations, workshops and meetings, video recordings, and projections, is intended to make room for experimental processes, and experience-based practices. It features numerous artists and collectives that in turn encourage different types of participation, including Stéphane Kabila (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Paula Chambers (UK), The Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art / Survival Kit (Latvia), Jelsen Lee Innocent (USA), Jessica Williams (USA), Makda Embaie (Sweden), Daddy’s Dinner (Taiwan, China, Hong Kong), Deise Faria Nunes (Brazil), Iya Luz, aka Tereza Duarte (Brazil),  Hulias (Norway), YTB - Younger Than Beyoncé (Canada), Fotogalleriet (Norway), Sean Tseng (Taiwan), Sara Wu (Taiwan), Daniela Ramos Arias (Costa Rica), Aisel Wicab (Mexico), Stacy Brafield (UK), Ewa Hubar (Poland), Escuela de Garage (Colombia), La Hervidera (Mexico), The Seoul Mediacity Biennale, amongst others. 

MOMENTUM 12: Together as to gather is complemented by a fully illustrated limited edition publication edited by Billie MacTernan (UK) with Bukola Oyebode (Nigeria). It includes contributions from Antawan I. Byrd (USA), Stan D’Haene (Belgium), Janine Eisenacher (Germany), Itzel Esquivel (Mexico), Cissie Fu (Singapore), Bronwyn Law-Viljoen (South Africa), Annette An-Jen Liu (Taiwan), Alessandro Marchi (Italy), moshood (Nigeria), Enrique Guadarrama Solis (Mexico), Shih Ya Tien (Taiwan), Alia Swastika (Indonesia), Nikhil Vettukattil (India), Salomé Voegelin (Austria), and Arnisa Zeqo (Netherlands). Over the course of the biennale, the publication will be supplemented with six bulletins.

The MOMENTUM biennale was established in 1998 and is organised and produced by Galleri F 15. For over two decades, MOMENTUM has consistently supported compelling curatorial vision and operated as a platform for exploring the exhibition format, both in the Nordic context and with an international perspective.

MOMENTUM 12: Together as to gather takes place from June 10 to October 8, 2023. 

More information
Visit momentum12.info and tune in to Radio MOMENTUM for programming connected to Together as to gather.

Media enquiries
International: Amanda Kelly and Vanessa Saraceno, Pickles PR
Norway: Ann Kristin Traaen, Galleri F 15