Frieze New Writers is a 3-day free art writing course, led by frieze editors. With this project, Bergen Kunsthall and OCA aims to support art criticism within the Nordic countries and strengthen the infrastructure for discourse. As stated by initiator Bergen Kunsthall, writing and publishing are vital areas of an ecology for critical thinking in the arts. Without public reflection and debate there can’t be artistic, curatorial and institutional progression. The course is an opportunity to start transnational dialogues and contributes to continued efforts to amplify diverse voices within the art world and to develop strong critic voices.
After an Open Call announced by Frieze in January, eight establishing writers from across the Nordic region have now been selected to participate in the Bergen edition of Frieze New Writers. They are Agnes Ársælsdóttir, Amanda Hakoköngäs, Abirami Logendran, Sabine Wedege, Neslihan Ramzi, Carol Stampone, Tatuli Japoshvili and Feliks Ulvåen Isaksen.
With support from the frieze editorial team and their wider network of art-world professionals a series of workshops in Bergen will offer practical advice on how and where to pitch, interview techniques and what makes a great profile or review. Gallery and studio visits will give participants insights into the art world and the people who shape it. Each participant will have their work edited by editors of frieze, with an opportunity for their work to appear on frieze.com.
This initiative is part of Frieze’s wider commitment to amplifying diverse voices within the art world. Frieze is committed to practicing anti-discrimination including race, gender and disability, together with artists, writers and cultural practitioners from all backgrounds.
Frieze New Writers in Bergen is a collaboration between Frieze and Bergen Kunsthall, in partnership with Office for Contemporary Art Norway (OCA) and supported by the Nordic Culture Fund.
Image credit: Frieze New Writers 2022 cohort on gallery/studio visits
We were fortunate to visit Damla Kilickiran’s studio while she was working on her latest sculpture, Dark Entries, which will soon be exhibited at Lund Konsthall. The group exhibition, Near to the Wild Heart, opens on 21 December 2024 and runs until 16 March 2025.
We are pleased to announce that the guidelines for ISGIES - International Support for Galleries and Independent Exhibition Spaces have been revised and that the scheme will be open for applications for 2025 from December 10.
From January 1st to June 30th this year, Ina Hagen was the artist-in-residence at WIELS Contemporary Art Centre in Brussels. We had the pleasure of speaking with Ina about her time at WIELS and her residency experience. In this interview, she shares her thoughts on the journey, the impact of the residency on her work, and much more.
OCA runs a mailing lists to let interested parties know about our activities, including the artistic programme, grants schemes and international residencies, and publications.