Who can say no to three good wishes?
May 26 – June 9, 1999
International Music Festival at Bergens Art Association (Kunstforening), Bergen, Norway
Inghild Karlsen was the Bergen festival artist during the International Festival in Bergen in 1999.
She is monumentalizing objects during the festival while presenting conceptual art, installation art, and found art to engage the public. This time, miniature figures collected on her travels, several of them religious or ritual, others more profane. Through monumentalization, an object meant to convey an intimate, private experience is brought into the public domain of art.
For instance, the black Madonnas from Brazil. They are typically mass-produced for home use. Here, they appear in two versions, each with slightly different religious connotations. Other types of objects connected to faith are also presented on a monumental scale. But here, it is the owner’s belief in their auspicious power and inherent ability to grant any important wish.
Inghild Karlsen used the miniatures when she was the Festival artist during the International Festival in Bergen.
The miniatures appear alongside souvenirs such as a souvenir lighter and a decorative little Danish porcelain nurse figurine. Altogether, the exhibition’s elements form images from the artist’s memory.
