This year marks the 50-year anniversary of decriminalization of homosexuality in Norway, and Preus Museum, national museum for photography celebrates Queer Culture Year with the exhibition project ‘↗︎ Over the Rainbow’. Having the suffrage activists and photographers Marie Høeg (1866–1949) and Bolette Berg (1872–1944) and their photographic archive as point of departure, Preus Museum and curator Hilde Herming have asked: “What kind of exhibition would Marie and Bolette have invited to?”

‘Over the Rainbow’ includes works by artists living today and part of our history, of course by no means covering it all, but valuable voices to be heard, seen, and experienced. In addition, there will be events throughout the year. Karmaklubb* is part of the exhibition in several ways, including a commissioned work — ↗︎ Queering the Museum — Preus (2022) — as well as other contributions who represent queer perspectives with a centennial scope. And with us are loads of friends and family. *** ↗︎ Late summer: on-site thought and pleasure, DRAG, BURLESQUE, AND JOY. Save the date, 26 August!!! *** During fall: ↗︎ The site-specific public art work, 22 September. *** This is the third chapter of the Karmaklubb* ‘Queering the Museum’ investigations.

• Exhibition period: 28 May 2022 to 8 January 2023 — OBS: WE DO HAVE A LAUNCH OUTDOOR 21 SEPTEMBER AT 20:30, MORE ↗︎ HERE.
• Curator Queer Culture Year 2022 / ‘Over the Rainbow’: Hilde Herming
• Exhibition team: Pål Henrik Ekern (project manager), Ingri Østerholt (communication manager), and Monika Sjue (producer)
  Consultant and expert on Høeg & Berg: Hanne Holm-Johnsen

↗︎ Read more about Preus, 'Over the Rainbow', our collaboration, Queer Culture Year, and more here. Articles in BLIKK ↗︎ here (Engesbak, 23 May) and 29 May (Bakke & Lindseth, 29 May) ↗︎ here.

Friends and family part of our work: Cassie Brødskive / Jens Martin Hartvedt Arvesen, Frida Marida / Hani Assaf, Alex Benjamin, the rest of the Cloudberry gurus. Friends along: Paulina Tamara, Maike Statz, Ragnhild Aamås, and Danja Burchard. Featured photographers in the archive (no order of appearance): Julie Hrnčířová, Jan Khür, Paulina Tamara for BIT Teatergarasjen, Anna Penkova for Black Box teater. Artists featured in the archive: Cassie Brødskive, Elektra Puzzz, Briar The VaudeVillain, Novelty Starr, Eliza Fierce, Luna Palmer, Emma Fended, Ain Rayne / Mother of the House of Rayne, Vera Brå, Maple Thorpe, Juan Felipe Machista, Linda Longlegz, and Robin. Also thanks to Haus of Friele, Open Drag Stage and DragLab. And a nod to Skeiv kopp and all the other beauties. More images shortly.

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Further reading from the Preus Museum exhibition text:

What kind of exhibition would Marie and Bolette have invited to?

Marie and Bolette, and especially Marie, were very visible public figures in Horten around the turn of the century 1800/1900. Marie Høeg’s efforts for the suffragette movement did not go unnoticed, and it was said that: “She came like a whirlwind and woke up sleepy Horten.” However, in retrospect, it is their private photographs, handed over to Leif Preus in the 1980s, that have been the subject of most attention. In terms of motif, these stand in strong and humorous contrast to the portraits of the bourgeoisie in Horten they lived off as professional photographers. In the private photos, they staged themselves and challenged the gender roles of the 19th century. The ‘discovery’ of their private images has contributed to them being interpreted into various queer contexts.

The private photographs of Marie, Bolette, and their friends probably appear more playful than controversial to today’s audience, and therefore say a lot about how the boundaries of what is perceived as acceptable or conventional change in terms of place, time and space.

As far as we know, Marie and Bolette did not leave any diaries, letters, or other written material about their private lives, but the stories about the two allow us to picture how they must have lived and what kind of personalities they may have had. It is not publicly documented that they had a romantic relationship, but based on information from various sources, we assume that they were queer.

What kind of exhibition can we imagine that Marie and Bolette would have appreciated?

Given Marie’s struggle for women's suffrage and equality, it is natural to believe that she and Bolette would have been enthusiastic about Kim Friele’s struggle for gay rights, and that they would have been concerned about human rights worldwide. It is therefore relevant to place them in a larger western context and include references to others who lived in queer relationships (hidden or open) around 1900. There are several prominent people, especially in artistic circles, we highlight: Loïe Fuller (1862–1928, USA/France) who became famous for The Serpentine Dance (ca. 1896) and Gladys Bentley who was associated with The Harlem Renaissance (1918–37) in the USA. The exhibition also refers to the rise of surrealism in Europe, where the artist Claude Cahun (France/Jersey, 1894–1954) played a central role.

Identity and photography

Preus museum is in a unique situation because photography has had and has a central role in staging, documentation, and experimentation around the concept of identity. The exhibition compiles historical and contemporary material across generations and shows a breadth of genres from documentary to portrait photography, video works and staged ‘realities’. The exhibition also features some newly produced surprises, because Marie and Bolette continue to inspire both younger and older photographers and artists. We hope this inspiration also spreads to audiences of all ages!