Office for Contemporary Art Norway appoints Mike Sperlinger as Head of Programme

OCA is thrilled to announce the appointment of Mike Sperlinger as Head of Programme. Sperlinger will be leading OCA’s public programme, maintaining the organisation’s position as a prominent contemporary arts institution and identifying new opportunities for development.

Currently Sperlinger is the acting Dean at the Oslo Academy of Fine Art, where he has been Professor of Writing and Theory since 2013. Prior to that he was assistant director of LUX, a London-based organisation for artists working with the moving image which he co-founded in 2002. At LUX he oversaw Europe’s largest collection of artists’ film and video and worked on hundreds of screenings, exhibitions and projects with artists and institutions around the world. His most recent curatorial projects include a series of shows in the U.K. and Germany with the late German artist Marianne Wex; the exhibition Counterimaginaries at Tromsø Kunstforening; and The Social Life of Film, an international congress of ‘nomadic screening collectives’ which took place earlier this year in Copenhagen. Sperlinger’s writing has been published widely, including recent catalogue texts for Ed Atkins, Gerard Byrne and Laure Prouvost, and he has edited several books including Afterthought: New Writing on Conceptual Art (2005) and Here Is Information. Mobilise - Selected writings by Ian White (2016).

OCA’s director Ruben Steinum states:
Mike has shown deep insight and knowledge about the global and Norwegian art scene combined with an interest in developing structures that foster international connections and activity for artists and the visual art field. With Mike as part of the team we are ready to continue to strengthen global connectivity and develop new platforms, models, and ways to engage with audiences.

Sperlinger, quoted below, will enter the position on the 1st of March 2024.
I first discovered the Norwegian art scene through OCA back when I was still working in London, and projects like Whatever Happened to Sex in Scandinavia? and Let The River Flow are still reference points for me. OCA has always represented the importance of thinking about art, culture and solidarity with an international horizon - something which feels more urgent than ever. It's incredibly exciting to be joining the team at OCA and to have a chance to build on that history

For enquiries:
Ruben Steinum,
Director, Office for Contemporary Art Norway
ruben.steinum@oca.no
+47 920 92 350