MUNTHE ART MONDAY: UNA GJERDE
Please introduce yourself and tell us about what you do.
As a curator and producer, I work closely with artists and film makers in the development of their projects. I’m passionate about fostering collaborations that are not only artistically, but also socially and financially viable for all involved parties. Currently my time is divided between directing BO, the Association of Visual Artists Oslo, an exhibition venue and artist union in central Oslo, and running Amfitrite Produksjon AS, a film and art production company I founded in 2022 with artist and film director Marin Håskjold.
Photo credit: Mathea Milkovic Saric
Can you name some other female (gallery owners or women in the arts) that inspires you and explain why they do so?
I have been fortunate to cross path with a lot of amazing women throughout my studies and my career. One of my biggest inspirations has been the Norwegian performance artist and gender theorist Wencke Mühleisen, whose radical practice I discovered when I was doing my master’s in art history at Copenhagen University. Wencke’s work ended up playing a key role in my thesis, and I’ve later had the pleasure of working with her on several occasions. This fall, I’ve also commenced a larger project with Wencke’s archive and the documentation of her work which hopefully will result in an extensive publication and retrospective exhibition on her work. I’m feeling extremely grateful and excited about the chance to dive even deeper into her practice!
I’m also inspired by women my own age, such as the artist Vilje Celin Kern Vestenfor, whose exhibition we are currently showing at BO. Aesthetically, as content wise, I find her work refreshing and thought provoking!
Photo credit: Vegard Kleven
What would you like people to notice in the way you work with your gallery?
Most importantly I hope the artists that I’m collaborating with feels well taken care of, that they get the support and follow up they need to realize their projects in the best possible way. I believe that there’s a correlation between working conditions and experience, and thus I think artists that are treated well by the institutions and galleries will create better work. I believe that both audiences and clients will benefit from visiting spaces where the artists and workers are happy, feel seen and appreciated.
Photo credit: Vegard Kleven
Una is wearing Thono vest and Obey jeans.
Photo credit: Mathea Milkovic Saric
Could you explain more about how being a woman has affected your career?
I’m not a fan of reducing things to binaries, and I find it challenging to pinpoint how being a woman has shaped my career. I feel like it would be reducing myself to my gender. On the other hand, being born a woman has evidently shaped my life – as Luce Irigay writes « Without any intervention or manipulation, you are already a woman [by birth] ». Being brought up, and living in a world where your gender matters, has of course shaped me in many ways and also affected my interests as a curator and producer.
Photo credit: Vegard Kleven
Photo credit: Vegard Kleven
What has been the most challenging aspect of being a woman in the arts?
I have to say I don’t see being a woman as a challenge in the arts, at least not in the independent scene where I’ve spent most of my time. But as the arts are precarious, and there are not that many jobs, evidently, it’s competitive and I guess being a woman (as most art historians and curators in the Nordics) makes it harder to stand out.
Photo credit: Mathea Milkovic Saric
