Artists picking potatoes in the art field.
KUNSTFELTET
October 4 - 7
Hov, Norway
With artist performers:
Oscar Debs (LEB)
Eduardo Scaramuzza (BRA)
Anaclara Talento (UY)
Dalia Huerta Cano (MEX)
Samrridhi Kukreja (IN)
Lexie Owen (CAN)
KUNSTFELTET is an artistic project developed by Gabrielle Paré.
Paré invites six non-EU citizen artists based in Norway to pick potatoes on a potato farm. The potato picking is carried out during week 40, which is the period for the Norwegian tradition of Høstferie (the Autumn Holiday), or "potato holiday" as it was first called. The potato holiday has its roots in the Second World War, when Norway found itself in a situation of great food shortages and distress. Increased cultivation of potatoes, the combination of resources, collaboration and the mobilization of labour by having potato holiday were all measures against a difficult national situation. During the week of potato holiday, schoolchildren were given a break from their studies so that they could help their families and communities with the potato harvest.
Potato picking is also a motif that has been used many times by Norwegian artists such as Johs Rian (Potetplukkere på Tåsen, 1939), Fredrik Collett (To kvinner tar opp poteter, 1881) and Christian Skredsvig (Potetopptagning, 1894), making this image an important inheritance in both Norwegian history and art history.
This project also has its roots in the economic precarity of artists, made all the more visible by the covid-19 pandemic. Among many vulnerable groups were non-EU artists based in Norway who don't have permission to work and earn their livings outside their trained fields—the art field. With cultural sectors being among the first to lock down, many of these artists struggled to earn enough money to survive, let alone fulfill the income requirements of their work permits to continue staying in the country.
In KUNSTFELTET this group of artists perform the role of the "potato picker" in an artistic performance, redefining farm labour as artistic labour. In doing so I re-imagine the image of Norwegian cultural heritage while also extending the art field to a potato field in Hov.
The project is connected to the motivations behind the potato holiday: distress, precarity, collaboration and the need for creative solutions. With support from Kulturrådet, I pay all artists an artist fee for their performance.
Acknowledgements:
KUNSTFELTET wouldn't be what it is without these supporters, collaborators, tip givers and important conversation partners. These individuals have helped me think through concepts of precarity, labour, immigration, Norwegian legacies and heritage, farming and potatoes.
Thank you to:
Oscar Debs, Eduardo Scaramuzza, Anaclara Talento, Lexie Owen, Dalia Huerta Cano, Samrridhi Kukreja, Øyvind Knudsen, Jørn Haglo, Ingrid Halvorsen, Hanna Roloff, Liilian Saksi, Ole Gustav Klevberg, Aksel Ree, A K Dolven, Rodrigo Ghattas-Pérez, Prerna Bishnoi, Anthony Morton, Ina Hagen, Verdensrommet, Victoria Durnak, Helle Johansen, Tor Jacob Solberg, Søssa Jørgensen, Randi Thommessen and Anne Szefer Karlsen. A special thank you to Jan Christensen who graciously agreed to be a consultant in this project, and to Siv Kjelstrup and Sverre Trætteberg for being our wonderful hosts in Hov. Thank you to Pål Bjarne Johansen for planting the seed of this project.
This project was made possible thanks to generous support from Kulturrådet.