Desconocida Unknown Ukjent showing at Stenersen Museum Oslo

June 20th the exhibition Off the Beaten Path: Violence, Women and Art, opened at Stenersen Museum, Oslo. Link: http://www.stenersen.museum.no/Pressebilder.htm. Desconocida Unknown Ukjent is presented by a table for workshops,including materials for embroidering labels, showing two videos: Lourdes Portillo´s: Missing young woman and Lise Bjørne Linnert and Jose Ferriera´s Threading voices. On another computer visitors can go to different blogs and current articles from Ciudad Juarez, see link http://www.sveinkvamme.com/desconocida_stenersen/

2887 labels, the number embroidered up til now, are placed on a pink painted platform.

I have hosted two workshops so far, not too many participants but both workshops held, in addition to beautiful embroidered labels, thoughtful and interesting discussions. One of the participants was a survivor of abuse and prostitution. She said she was glad to see an exhibition that did not focus on the ugliness of the violence, because as a victim of abuse and violence she explained how you feel ugly, dirty and the beauty you held somehow are lost. In this project she felt each woman was seen as who they were and not what they had been a victim of. This feedback was good for me to hear.

I am also very glad to see that the table is in use without any planned workshop. Every time I come by, I see new additional labels having been embroidered. I feel touched and glad that people do sit down and spend time concerning this very important issue.