SIREN

Tromsø kunstforening
22.01-03.05.26

Tromsø Kunstforening invites everyone to celebrate the opening of its 26th festival exhibition during Tromsø International Film Festival.

This year’s exhibition, Siren, is curated by IKT Member Daniela Arriado and brings together artistic strategies of resistance in a time of political polarisation, war, and democratic decline.

Artists: Bianca Hisse, Dalia Al-Kury, Eli Cortiñas, Mona Hatoum, Pınar Öğrenci, and Regina José Galindo.

Opening: Thursday 22 January, 18:00–21:00
Venue: Mellomvegen 82, 2nd floor (entrance facing north/city centre)
Snacks and refreshments will be available.
Free and open to all.

In a time marked by the erosion of democratic values and the return of authoritarian rhetoric, SIREN gathers a polyphony of voices exploring alarm, resistance, and the power of voice. Drawing from Mona Hatoum’s So There’s So Much I Want to Say (1983) and titled after Regina José Galindo’s Siren (2024), the exhibition reimagines the siren as both warning and call -reclaiming the feminized voice as defiance, care, and collective agency.

Across moving image, sound, and performance, the works move through landscapes shaped by militarization, migration, and resistance. Set in a former nursing home, an architecture of care, SIREN asks how art can hold grief, counter violence, and imagine futures beyond systems of control. These works remind us that to resist is also to sound—and that listening may be one of the most radical acts we practice today.

The exhibition is also part of “Tromsø–Gaza 25 Years,” celebrating Palestinian culture and the twin city agreement.

Supported by The Ministry of Culture and Equality of Norway, Tromsø Municipality and Troms County Municipality