We shall be an arena for artistic expressions, not a political actor

If the National Museum becomes an active player in geopolitical debates, we risk restricting the space for artistic expression.

This is a debate post. Any opinions expressed in the text are the responsibility of the writer. If you want to participate in the debate, you can read how here.

An appeal initiated by employees at the National Museum has recently received attention. Several things are requested here, including that the National Museum should both agree to “stop the (…) genocide of Palestinians”, and that we should boycott Israeli institutions.

The National Museum is concerned that all employees should be able to get involved and express themselves politically – as private individuals. We as the National Museum, on the other hand, must have one main line.

Internal theme

Our main task is to be an arena for artistic expression, not a political actor. We have great respect for the actors in Norway who have formal roles in trying to contribute to peace. Our role is to be a museum for everyone, and therein lies our legitimacy.

It is impossible not to be affected by the news from the Middle East. How we as the National Museum relate to this and other political conflicts and geopolitical crises is regularly an internal topic for us.

In Ukraine, we marked our position somewhat more clearly, as most of Europe did. Even the Norwegian state then chose to impose an academic boycott. We also wholeheartedly support the International Council of Museums’ (ICOM) message that cultural heritage and people must be protected.

Freedom of expression arena

In the same way, we support the statement from the Norwegian Museums Association’s annual meeting that our international, inalienable cultural heritage in Gaza must be protected. But as a national museum of art, our role is to facilitate various artistic expressions in our exhibitions – regardless of what we may privately think about the expressions or, for that matter, the politics or institutions in the countries where the art is created.

The National Museum’s vision is to reflect society and the times we live in – through art. It is about what we collect and buy in, what we exhibit and in activities related to this. We are an arena for artistic freedom of expression. If we as a museum choose to become an active player in geopolitical debates, we will ultimately be able to contribute to restricting this space of expression.