“Many of us have felt a sense of hopelessness and powerlessness in the face of what’s happening around the world. That’s part of the backdrop for this exhibition,” says museum director Mayra Henríquez at the Sogn and Fjordane Art Museum.
In recent years, the news has been filled with it—headlines listing numbers of lives lost and futures destroyed, reports of powerful leaders wielding force through weapons. We are surrounded by deep polarization and hostile voices, especially on social media. No one remains unaffected by what is unfolding.
Curators Tor Martin Leknes and Mayra Henríquez present an exhibition which seeks to restore a focus on human dignity amidst clickbait headlines and algorithm-driven feeds. Featuring artists from Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Europe, the exhibition emphasizes that the world is made up of individuals with stories—not just groups, numbers, and statistics.
Borrowed works with powerful stories
“We were invited by art collectors Arne Austrheim and Tom Sydhagen to curate an exhibition using works from their collection. As we went through the pieces, the idea of dehumanization kept coming up in conversation. Many of the works deal with war, power, oppression, exploitation, and a lack of respect for human life. With the global news landscape in mind, we wanted to create an exhibition centered around this shared theme,” she explains.
“de:HUMANIZE presents international artists and attracts a global audience. The title ties everything together, so this time we chose a title in English rather than in Nynorsk. We’ve also emphasized ‘HUMANIZE’ in capital letters to highlight our focus on human dignity,” says Tor Martin Leknes.
Aiming to offer deeper insight
Although the exhibition deals with engages with complex and often difficult themes, the artworks themselves can be visually striking. The dehumanizing aspects may not be immediately apparent: they often emerge only when you take the time to engage with each piece and its story. This is precisely what sets the exhibition apart: through an audio guide, visitors gain insight into the background of each work and its artist. Together, these stories and artworks invite reflection on power structures, inequality and how we view one another as human beings.
“One example is the use of recycled materials,” Henríquez explains. “Artists from affluent world regions may turn to reuse as a political or environmental statement, while artists from the Global South often do so out of necessity—working with what is available to them. That adds another layer of meaning.”
Working with the collection has not been without its dilemmas. Some of the artists are considered controversial in their home countries, and certain works take positions on sensitive issues. The curators have had ongoing discussions about what it means to take a stance—and about what responsibility museums in regional contexts have in shaping perspectives.
Painful and beautiful
Sogn and Fjordane Art Museum is one of 13 cultural institutions in the regional network called Museums of Sogn og Fjordane. “The network's Diversity and Inclusion Strategy is at the forefront of our thinking,” says Leknes. “We wanted to create an exhibition that carries more of an external pulse—something that might open up reflection on how we speak and write about others. While the exhibition is beautiful, it also confronts visitors with difficult emotions, which I hope can lead to deeper reflection.”
How is the exhibition relevant to audience in this region?
“We’re about to enter Pride month,” says Leknes. “If you look at the comment sections of local newspapers on social media, you’ll find plenty of language that connects directly to the exhibition’s theme. Some of it is clearly dehumanizing.”
“There is a broader tendency in society to label people in ways that divide rather than unite,” Henríquez adds. “We demonize and reduce one another to categories, and in doing so, we forget that we’re talking about human beings. We want to open the door and offer knowledge that allows people to see others in a more nuanced way. Human beings are complex, multifaceted, and cannot be easily defined.”
International names
So what can visitors expect?
The exhibition includes works by artists such as Igshaan Adams, who is currently featured in a solo exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and whose work is held in major collections worldwide. Also on view is Nilbar Güreş, who represents Turkey at the Turkish Pavilion of the 2026 Venice Biennale—both among the most important platforms in the international art world.
The show brings together painting, printmaking, textile art, photography and video and runs until September 27, 2026.
