Can art help us understand death?

"Don't be afraid. An exhibition about death"
The Light Hall, National Museum, Oslo
May 7 – September 6

– Death is a broad-ranging topic. Historically, art has dealt with death in many ways, such as memento mori and the Dance of Death, but here we would rather show how our relationship with death is constantly influenced by technology, religion and cultural expression, says Geir Haraldseth, curator at the National Museum.

“Don’t be afraid. An exhibition about death” consists of nearly a hundred works, from antiquity via national romanticism to contemporary art. Here, the audience encounters works from the National Museum’s collection in a new setting.

– We want to show that there is leeway in how we think, speak and relate to death. There is something beautiful in the fact that all cultures have always had rituals around this, and that they change along with society. In encountering this exhibition, we hope that the audience uses both their heart and their head, says Ingrid Røynesdal, director of the National Museum.

Spanning time and genres
"Don't be afraid. An exhibition about death" is wide-ranging and spans centuries, genres and expressions.

Sverre Fehn, Nan Goldin, Utagawa Hiroshige, Gustav Vigeland, Sandra Mujinga and Adolph Tidemand are among the Norwegian and international artists represented. 
 
– The exhibition consists of works such as urns and sarcophagi to sound installations and photographs, paintings and architectural drawings, to create connections over time and invite the audience to think about their own relationship to death and the things around you, says curator Haraldseth. 
– Not all the objects we have chosen for the exhibition have death as a theme, but they have been included to create new connections between the objects.

More than art
The exhibition design is by the French sculptor and scenographer Theo Demans. Demans transforms abstract concepts into tactile and concrete audience experiences.

Demans was chosen for the assignment based on his unique expression in his work with scenography for theater, nightclubs and the art field, and has worked according to a design and concept brief from the museum. The exhibition design is adapted to the works on display, with display cases, podiums and smaller rooms within the room. Demans has also been involved in exhibition design for Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum, in Bodø.

The outreach program that accompanies the exhibition is based on the basic idea that it should be easier to talk about death. Among others, author and funeral director Tor-Håkon Gabriel Håvardsen has been invited to give a lecture about death, interspersed with warmth, anecdotes and my own observations and experiences from his professional life. 

There will also be held a Death Café at the National Museum. Death Café is an open conversation about death, where people gather around a table with food and drink. Here, people who initially don't know each other can share thoughts and experiences, in addition to hopefully gaining new perspectives on death.