The Nasjonalmuseet in Oslo—home to the world’s largest collection of Edvard Munch’s works, including The Scream, The Kiss, and Melancholy—is stepping into bold curatorial territory with an exhibition that pushes far beyond Nordic symbolism. While the museum safeguards 239 Munch masterpieces, it is simultaneously opening its doors to an expansive and daring exploration of Islamic art and gender. “Deviant Ornaments”, on view until 15 March, spans more than a thousand years of artistic production. The exhibition brings together over 40 works, from 11th-century Egyptian ceramics and Safavid silk textiles to illuminated manuscripts, contemporary video works, jewellery, and immersive installations. One of the striking pieces featured is Untitled V from the series Divine Comedy (2010) by Lebanese artist Chaza Charafeddine—a vivid example of how contemporary creators reinterpret inherited visual traditions through the lens of identity and embodiment. Curated by Noor Bhanghu, the exhibition proposes a radical rethinking of the relationship between Islamic art and gender. According to Bhanghu, these objects demonstrate that questions of gender, fluidity, and identity have always been present in Islamic visual culture, even if they were not framed through contemporary terminology. “Deviant Ornaments” is the culmination of a three-year research project examining the intersections between queerness, colonial history, and Islamic art. The initiative originated within Norway’s Queer Culture Year 2022, which marked the 50th anniversary of the decriminalization of homosexuality in the country. The exhibition builds on this national reflection by shifting the focus outward—toward global histories, cross-cultural influences, and the many ways art has expressed forms of desire, identity, and resistance across centuries. In contrast to the museum’s current presentation of contemporary artist Anawana Haloba (on display until 19 April), Deviant Ornaments positions itself between the familiarity of canonical Nordic art and the vitality of non-Western visual traditions. The result is a curatorial proposal that expands the role of the Nasjonalmuseet as an international cultural hub, inviting visitors to reconsider long-held assumptions about Islamic art and to engage with broader conversations on gender across time and geography.
Read more on Nasjonalmuseet.no
