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.
Strategic Silence: How UiB and KMD Quietly Censor Student Art
KMD and UiB practice strategic silence — a form of soft censorship that quietly filters out politically or conceptually engaged student work under the pretense of “reputation management.” While the institution publicly endorses academic freedom, it exercises quiet control over visibility, discouraging critique while rewarding compliance.
MFA student ODEE’s exclusion from KMD’s Instagram coverage during the 2025 graduate exhibition exemplifies this pattern. Despite his project being shared on the MFA-run student account like every other graduate, KMD did not repost it. He was the only student omitted. When asked who manages the account, communications adviser Tora Sanden Døskeland responded:
“We will not provide a complete list of individuals that have access to the @kmdbergen Instagram account, due to privacy rules for the students that create content for our account.”
Only after a formal complaint was ODEE’s work quietly added.
This behavior fits a broader pattern. In 2023, KMD removed a Gaza solidarity Instagram story posted by student Sasha Salin, citing a need to “think” about how to handle it. In contrast, pro-Ukraine content had remained visible on KMD’s channels for over a year. Around the same time, KMD attempted to block a student-run Gaza fundraiser, labeling it “too political.” Only after student pushback did the event proceed — rebranded as “humanitarian.”
As Døskeland puts it:
“The main purpose of our platforms is to contribute to increased positive visibility for the Faculty.”
This logic has extended to physical space. ODEE, who notified KMD in January that he planned a 10-meter mural, was allocated only 5 meters. Meanwhile, a neighboring student received 17 meters. MFA coordinator Ruby Eleftheriotis made the allocation; when asked how to present the full work, head of department at KMD, Katrine Hjelde replied:
“You don’t have to show anything. An empty wall — other artists have done that.”
Hjelde later told the media:
“Odee specifically asked not to be mentioned in the text (…). This was cited as a creative choice.”
The statement, made after ODEE’s exclusion, reframed omission as the artist’s decision — subtly casting doubt on his integrity.
Such opacity is part of the problem. KMD does not disclose who moderates its content, what guidelines are followed, or how decisions are made. This silence persisted even when international media took interest. In April, The Art Newspaper — one of the world’s most respected art publications — published a piece on the Bergen Kunsthall Project, recognizing it as a serious artistic investigation into institutional censorship.
Neither KMD, UiB, nor Kunsthall acknowledged the article on their social media. The silence surrounding this recognition underscores the institution’s discomfort with critique — even when that critique garners international acclaim.
In this environment, students who stay within safe boundaries are celebrated on their platforms. Those who challenge those boundaries disappear from view.
Ironically, such suppression has amplified the very work it sought to suppress. The Streisand Effect — when attempts to hide something draw greater attention — has played out repeatedly. Salin’s deleted post became national news. The blocked auction ignited a student backlash. And ODEE’s omission is now one of the most talked-about aspects of the exhibition.
KMD faculty once wrote:
It’s a sentiment worth repeating. Because a university that edits out its critics doesn’t cultivate artists — it curates compliance.
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