Thursday 26th-Sunday 29th August 2021
12-5pm
Rostockgata 2-4 0191 Oslo
There will be a reception for the artist on Friday 27th August 5-7pm
Kunsthall Oslo is very pleased to host a pop-up exhibition by the Norway-based artist Khalid Shatta as part of Oslo Afro Arts Festival. Shatta’s work is inspired by modernist painting, but also by the art of ancient civilizations and by the culture of his birthplace, Sudan.
Shatta says: “I’m inspired by painters such as Hussein Gamaan, Kerry James Marshall, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Paul Klee and photographers like Malick Sidibé, Seydou Keïta and Gordon Parks. Ancient Sudanese history is another significant inspiration. Being of Nuba descent, I believe in trying to uncover the cultural heritage we lost under Islamic conquest and European colonialism.
I am currently exploring a theme I call the migration of the soul – the sensation of being out of place. We live in a time where many people feel a disconnection from their own bodies and existence. I make use of ancient Kemetic and Cushitic symbols from the historical kingdoms of the Nile valley civilisations. I believe that everything is connected through our shared history, even in this chaotic state of migration.”
This exhibition, titled “Migration of the Soul”, is part of a two-part exhibition project platforming refugee and former refugee artists, curated by Khalid Shatta and Mona Frank. For more information on the exhibition and the Oslo Afro Arts Festival programme visit the festival homepage.