Kpa acquires work by Sarah Kazmi through new Oslo Open partnership
Kunst på arbeidsplassen (Kpa – Art in the Workplace) has entered into a three-year collaboration agreement with Oslo Open, under which it will annually acquire works from artists participating in the open studio weekend. The first acquisition has now been confirmed: Sarah Kazmi’s work Mun meetha karien / sweeten one’s mouth will become part of Kpa’s art collection. The work will be adjusted in size in consultation with Kpa and will be exhibited for the first time during Kpa’s 75th anniversary exhibition in autumn 2025.
August 18 2025
Kazmi’s work was shown in spring 2024 as part of the project Cooking Time at the Intercultural Museum, developed in collaboration with curator Noor Bhangu. The exhibition explored Pakistani labour migration to Norway and how food can carry memories, identity, and cultural belonging. Drawing on archival material from, among others, Oslo Museum and the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History, Kazmi questions who gets to write history – and how it is told.
Kazmi (b. 1990, Pakistan) lives and works in Oslo and Karachi. Her interdisciplinary practice operates at the intersection of text, installation, performance, and sound, often in collaboration with local communities.
Through this new collaboration with Oslo Open, Kunst på arbeidsplassen aims to highlight Oslo-based artists and make contemporary art accessible in workplaces across the country.
An Independent Process
At Oslo Open’s annual general meeting on 7 May, Sarah Kazmi was elected as the organisation’s new Chair of the Board for the 2025–2027 period. Kpa’s acquisition process began prior to this and was unaware of the nomination committee’s recommendation. No representatives from Oslo Open took part in Kpa’s acquisitions committee.
75 Years of Art
Kunst på arbeidsplassen rents out art to public and private workplaces throughout Norway and manages a large art collection comprising over 6,000 works, reflecting 100 years of art history. The artworks are lent out as part of rotating exhibitions, with Kpa functioning as a kind of mobile museum. In this way, Kpa ensures that art becomes part of everyday working life for many people, with exhibitions and artworks regularly exchanged. As a result, the artists included in the collection are exhibited in a wide range of locations across the country.
Kpa was established by art historian Harry Fett in 1950 and celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. In addition to providing workplaces with art, Kpa actively engages in art communication through lectures, guided tours, and artist talks.