Construct/Reconstruct

NOUA is pleased to announce the exhibition program 2023, Construct/Reconstruct. Artists in the program address construction, urban development and materiality in their works, as a response to the renovation and development of the NOUA exhibition space in 2023 as preparations for Bodø as European Capital of Culture in 2024. To construct and reconstruct, or even deconstruct is often associated with dismantling, destruction, reverse engineering or taking something apart. But deconstruction is not to demolish or to destruct, in this case the deconstruction can be seen as an analysis, where the process of breaking apart a composite structure, identifying and isolating the less constructive parts that make up the larger whole. 

This year's first artist, Stian Hansen (NO), will work with materials from the planned construction process in his exhibition as part of his concept. He takes the materials into his paintings and sculptural works, together with 50 cast nails in bronze. Furthermore, Sheung Yi (FI/HK), Alexander Mourant (UK), Bart Lunenburg (NL), Jan McCullough (IE), Clare Strand (UK) and Sverre Gullesen (NO) will deal with the local history, including the bombing and the build-up of Bodø and use of post-war buildings in the city. NOUA's premises are located in one of the few remaining post-war buildings, and both architecture and materials will be the focus of the exhibitions. This by asking questions about what an exhibition venue can be, material use, reuse of concrete, the audience's experiences and the locals' benefit from the reuse of empty buildings as cultural arenas. The deconstruction and reconstruction that is being worked on this year at NOUA identifies a kind of general challenge to existing conceptual structures and "thinking outside the box" - to rethink aspects of the exhibition space.