The BERGEN KUNSTHALL PROJECT (BKP) is a conceptual and performative artwork by Icelandic artist ODEE. The work serves as artistic research into censorship, the chilling effect, and the boundaries of artistic freedom.
When Icelandic artist ODEE submitted vague plans for his final MFA artwork — a mysterious large-scale mural — the University of Bergen (UiB) reacted with alarm. Refusing to reveal the work’s content in advance, ODEE found himself at the center of a bureaucratic standoff that nearly cost him his spot in one of Scandinavia’s most prestigious exhibition halls. But what the university feared most — an uncontainable work of institutional critique — is precisely what they got.
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Open Letter to Katrine Hjelde
This is an open letter to the Head of Department for the Faculty of Art, Music and Design at the University of Bergen calling for accountability following unlawful censorship ahead of the MFA graduation exhibition at Bergen Kunsthall.
This is not merely an academic dispute; it is a direct assault on the artistic process, student rights, and the role of institutions that claim to foster critical, experimental practices. It serves as a warning to future students that any work deemed too provocative or uncomfortable may be suppressed through administrative decisions rather than supported, exhibited, and debated.
Conceptual art should not be treated as an anomaly at an institution claiming to train contemporary artists. My practice is rooted in culture jamming—a historically grounded artistic tradition—and this has been evident through internationally recognized projects like We’re Sorry and MOM Air.
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News
Art students accuse the ‘art authorities’ of silencing and censorship.
Two master's students use the graduation exhibition to claim that the university and Bergen Kunsthall [...]
I think there is a very hypocritical view of censorship here
Odee Friðriksson, known by the stage name ODEE , says he will not be allowed [...]
Secret artwork “may contain violations of the law”: – The university is censoring me
The art student believes he is being excluded from the master's degree exhibition. His advisor [...]
He says he is censored. UiB denies it.
The city's most controversial artist of recent times was going to exhibit in Bergen for [...]
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