Welcome to Oslo Open’s opening party

When you go into a studio you get a rare insight into the process and work that goes into a finished artwork. The program ØST KUNST and Nesteren Hasani have curated for this year’s opening party also explores the artistic process – in the form of experiments in art, dance, and music. The performers move across genres and expressions. By building bridges between different expressions we also want to create bridges between different parts of Oslo.

We will be guided through the program for the evening by our host, Felipe “Fela” Orellana. On the agenda is the annual Oslo Open Honorary Award ceremony, which goes to a person or organisation that has made a significant effort to improve the artists’ working situation. We will also experience an improvised piece by the dance collective B16 and music by Mariama Ndure.

The exhibition Free Education for All: It is Time is open until 22:00. Use the chance to see the graduation show from the master students at the Academy of Fine Art (KHiO).

We are celebrating that the studios will open once again on the weekend 27 and 28 April from 12–17. Welcome to the party!

The event is free and open to all. Age limit 20 years.

About the performers

B16

There are 15 boroughs in Oslo, and the dance collective B16 is the 16th. Dancer and choreographer Amie Mbye is the creator of an artistic collective where young, female, Norwegian–African dance artists can meet and motivate each other– a place that didn’t exist when she herself started her dancing career. B16 work broadly with dance; from performances to workshops and talks, and organizing dance jams and battles. For Oslo Open they will perform an improvised piece.

Mariama Ndure

Mariama Ndure is an Oslo based vocalist and musician who has made their mark on Norwegian music in the past years. With an educational background from the Norwegian Academy of Music and Berklee College of Music in Boston she gets her inspiration from jazz, hiphop, soul and the Mandinka and Wolof traditions in West African music. She works a lot with musical improvisation. Ndure also received a lot of recognition for her role as Nina Simone in the critically acclaimed theater concert “I am Nina” at the Nordic Black Theatre in Oslo.

Felipe Orellana

Felipe Orellana is a hip hop artist and actor from Haugenstua in Oslo. He is among other things known for the concert performance Blokk til blokk at Det Norske Teatret where he together with Don Martin and Jonathan Castro depicted growing up on the east side of Oslo. The story was also published as a graphic novel in 2022. Orellana has been a part of the Haugenstua based group Breaknecks and the rap duo Degos. In 2017 he was in the critically acclaimed play Vinduer by Veronica Salinas, and in the past years he has had roles in several Norwegian films and series.

About ØST KUNST

ØST KUNST aims to enrich Oslo’s art scene by promoting artists with a multicultural background from the east side of Oslo. The initiative offers exhibitions, courses for children and youth, events, an annual festival, and other creative activities to make art more accessible, at the same time as it supports young people’s creativity and identity building. The founder Nesteren Hasani, with a background as an interdisciplinary curator, cultural manager, and art mediator, is driven by art’s ability to bring people together through inclusive and socially engaged projects.

About Kunstnernes Hus

Arrival

The closest stop for public transportation is at Holbergs plass (Trams 11, 17, and 18) and the closest subway is Nationatheatret station.

People with a disability can use the parking spots at the back of Kunstnernes Hus. Please contact the reception for a parking pass.

Accessibility

The wheelchair entrance is through the elevator at the back of the building. To access the elevator use the buzzer to the reception by the door. All the common areas on the ground and first floor are suitable for wheelchair users. An accessible toilet can be found on the ground floor next to the elevator.

Guide dogs are allowed inside Kunstnernes Hus.

Any general questions about access at Kunstnernes Hus? Please send them to post@kunstnerneshus.no.

Any specific questions about the event? Please contact Director of Oslo Open, Frida Rusnak by phone 99 77 25 34 or to frida.rusnak@osloopen.no.