Woman Cleaning
by Kjell-Erik Ruud
Gitte Saetre is a versatile artist who has mastered several fields of art, but the moment she turned her gaze outward, away from what was closest, something happened to her work. People began to notice it; you could not go past her videos without thinking about major issues facing our world today. Even local issues changed into discussions at a national level. It is clear that the press can and does initiate such processes, but I believe that if the message reaches beyond itself - these things just happen. Gitte Sætre’s video work "The Cleaning Woman" shows the artist performing completely mundane tasks - like cleaning. With clear references to art history - especially feminist art of the 60's and 70's – which she makes her own, it is perceived as truth. She stands washing Norwegian farmed salmon in a supermarket - and questions instantly pop up in our heads, questions we would rather not ask. She has used powerful images in some of her videos, like using the Norwegian flag to wash the sidewalk where the Dalai Lama was going to walk on his way to the Norwegian Parliament; the initial debate was vehement, with accusations against the artist, hate messages on Facebook, and threats of this and that. The controversy escalated when a gallery chose to pull out the plug and disconnect her work, without contacting either the artist or the curator. This was an act of censorship - yet freedom of speech is highly valued in Norway. On this occasion, there were also a number of debates, and accusations were even put forth by the NBK, the Norwegian Artists’ Union, which is supposedly expected to assist any artist who finds themselves in a storm. This illustrates the kind of conditions which artists face, living under pressure from politicians who hold the view that artists must adapt to the market and that the best art is whatever sells at the highest price.
by Kjell-Erik Ruud
Gitte Saetre is a versatile artist who has mastered several fields of art, but the moment she turned her gaze outward, away from what was closest, something happened to her work. People began to notice it; you could not go past her videos without thinking about major issues facing our world today. Even local issues changed into discussions at a national level. It is clear that the press can and does initiate such processes, but I believe that if the message reaches beyond itself - these things just happen. Gitte Sætre’s video work "The Cleaning Woman" shows the artist performing completely mundane tasks - like cleaning. With clear references to art history - especially feminist art of the 60's and 70's – which she makes her own, it is perceived as truth. She stands washing Norwegian farmed salmon in a supermarket - and questions instantly pop up in our heads, questions we would rather not ask. She has used powerful images in some of her videos, like using the Norwegian flag to wash the sidewalk where the Dalai Lama was going to walk on his way to the Norwegian Parliament; the initial debate was vehement, with accusations against the artist, hate messages on Facebook, and threats of this and that. The controversy escalated when a gallery chose to pull out the plug and disconnect her work, without contacting either the artist or the curator. This was an act of censorship - yet freedom of speech is highly valued in Norway. On this occasion, there were also a number of debates, and accusations were even put forth by the NBK, the Norwegian Artists’ Union, which is supposedly expected to assist any artist who finds themselves in a storm. This illustrates the kind of conditions which artists face, living under pressure from politicians who hold the view that artists must adapt to the market and that the best art is whatever sells at the highest price.