Det gode liv // The Sweetness of living at Festspillene i Nord-Norge
24.06 - 01.07

Pikene på Broen will curate this year´s festival exhibition at the Festspillene i Nord-Norge, taking place in Harstad.

What does “the good life” look like from the north, in a Nordic context and in light of global climate crises, loss of biological diversity, green transition, energy crisis and the consequences of geopolitical instability, war and conflict?

These are the questions the Pikene på Broen will raise in the group exhibition “Det gode liv // The Sweetness of Living”. The initiative takes its inspiration from the publication Global Warming and the Sweetness of Life: A Tar Sands Tale (2018) by Matt Hern and Am Johal, where the authors investigate philosopher Giorgio Agamben’s invocation of Alexandre Kojève’s phrase ‘la dolce vita’ in the context of globally complex issues that relate to an overheating planet.

Drawing upon several perspectives and artistic approaches, the group exhibition will include works by Carl Christian Lein Størmer & 1999Q, Puolanka Pessimism Association, Kvae og Bark, Espen Sommer Eide, Tine Surel Lange & Pavlo Grazhdanskji, Riikka Keränen, Åsne Kummeneje Mellem, and Anastasia Savinova & John Andrew Wilhite-Hannisdal.

During the festival week the exhibition space will be activated in different ways together with Pikene på Broen´s collaboration partners in response to some of the themes and narratives that have emerged within the process.

The Exhibition Programme

Saturday 24.06
14:00: Official exhibition opening with speeches and
concert by Puolanka Pessimism Association

Sunday 25.06
13:30 – 14:30 Performance Lecture:
Dialects of the Deep
John Andrew Wilhite Hannisdal
& Rebekah Oomen

15:00 – 16:00 Performance Lecture:
Caramel Factory
1999Q

16:00  Concert:
Sleeping Instruments
Espen Sommer Eide

Monday 26.06
13:30 Guided tour in the exhibition

Tuesday 27.06
13:30 Guided tour in the exhibition

16:00  Performance Lecture:
The world of art exists where we create it
Auri Ahola

17:00 Performance: ALAIAQ 

ALAIAQ is a multi-artistic work consisting of movement, sound and landscape. It is a flow that multiplies, duplicates, invites and diverges. In the work, juggling, music, sound and light design, and yoik opens up new layers of each other. The work, which combines music and circus art, was commissioned by the Kittilä-based Silence Organisation. Featuring: Ailu Valle, Aleksi Niittyvuopio, Lauri Uusitalo, and Jukka Huitila.

The program for Tuesday is co-curated with Silence Festival.

Thursday 29.06
13:30 Guided tour in the exhibition

15:00-17:00  Performance Lecture:
Felles jord, delt bord
KVAE OG BARK

Pikene på Broen
Pikene på Broen is a collective of curators and producers based in Kirkenes, northern Norway. They are located 50km from the Finnish Border, 10km for the Russian border, within Sápmi, in the Paaččjok sijjd which is the rightful territory of the Skolt Sámi community. Pikene på Broen was established in 1996 as an initiative for building cultural bridges across borders and for creating dialogue between communities in the north. They run a residency programme for artists, writers, and researchers, and have the gallery space Terminal B, where they host an exhibition programme and initiate small-scale cultural events. In addition, they organise the art and culture festival Barents Spektakel in the wintertime.

See the full program at Festspillene i Nord-Norge website.


The exhibition is supported by The Finnish-Norwegian Cultural Institute, Taike – Arts Promotion Center Finland, The Norwegian Barents Secretariat, Spare Bank Nord-Norge, and Kulturridektoratet.

Image: ALAIAQ, Jouni Porsanger / Silence Festival