05/07/2026
In memory of the porous Norwegian-Russian border
www.borderartarchive.org
The BORDER ART ARCHIVE - BAA presents artistic narratives and tendencies from the past three decades, from ca. 1990 and up until 2022, in the Norwegian-Russian-Finnish border areas of Sápmi and the Barents region, as a starting point. At a time when the cross-border porosity between Russia and Europe is diminishing and national borders are becoming cul-de-sacs once again, the BAA reflects on an era that produced and left its marks on both physical artworks and curatorial practices in the very north. The BAA reveals translocal art histories that encourage further examination. By compiling and presenting work online, the BAA offers a reciprocity of thoughts and ideas that could inform, inspire and nurture artistic creation in these regions, both now and in the future.
BAA is launched in conjunction with our current exhibition, ‘For History, Change Position’, which presents a selection of artworks, stories, documents and memorabilia from the growing archive. To mark the end of the exhibition, on Saturday 29 August, we are organising an event to commemorate the porous Norwegian-Russian border. We look forward to welcoming you to this event!
The BORDER ART ARCHIVE - BAA is produced by independent curator Hilde Methi in collaboration with artist and Monoskop.org co-founder Dušan Barok, curator Camilla Fagerli, who is currently Artistic Director at Tromsø Kunstforening/Romssa Dáiddasiida//Tromssan Taitopiiri and Ekaterina Mikhaliova, a Political Geographer and researcher on borderlands at UIT - The Arctic University of Norway.
The BAA is a BarentsKult-funded project initiated in 2023. The 2026 activities are additionally supported by the Norwegian Arts Council and Troms County Municipality.