Artists:
- Jennie Bringaker
- Ingerid Kuiters
- Lisa Lie
- Kjartan Slettemark
- Andy Warhol
And more.
In the exhibition Just a dog – Haugar 30 years, we examine the history of Haugar Art Museum and relate it to the present and the future. The exhibition poses the question of what value art holds in society and how it is understood. We are doing this to shed light on some of the issues that many art institutions are facing today. Is the art institution just a dog, and something that can be erased with a stroke of the pen, or will the importance of the arts be recognised in the future as well?
The title Just a dog is inspired by a short story by Per Sivle, an unfortunate tale of a wise dog who experiences both belonging and being on the outside. And precisely the idea of being understood and valued, of one’s place and role in society, was central to much of the artist Kjartan Slettemark’s work. In Slettemark’s famous performance, he dressed up as a dog and paraded around like a poodle, much to the amusement and frustration of the onlookers.
With this, he expressed his opposition to what he saw as injustice. For instance, he was critical of authoritarian figures. And although Slettemark, as a poodle, didn’t do much besides simply being “just a dog”, he ended up getting thrown out of exhibitions and public spaces.
In the exhibition historical artworks will be shown alongside contemporary art. It will include works both from the museum’s own collection and from artists who have not been represented at Haugar before. The exhibition is an eclectic story with a cyclical and experimental narrative and includes everything from early recordings of performances presented at the museum by Kjartan Slettemark, sculptures of very different scales, as well as classically figurative painting.
The selection has been made based on the regional, national and international art history associated with Haugar, to highlight the different ways the art museum contributes to the world. Additionally, new theatrical work has been created exclusively for the museum, and the exhibition includes, among other things, a new piece acquired for the collection by Sparebankstiftelsen DNB.