On December 2nd, Arctic Frontiers were in Bergen, Norway to host a celebration of the exhibition ‘Bergen-Greenland: The Forgotten Histories’. The exhibition, which opened at the University Museum of Bergen in November, provides a new look at the history of Bergen and Norway in Greenland through archival material from trade, religion and research over the centuries. A key focus of the exhibition is the painting of Maria from Paamiut – a young Greenlandic woman who was brought from Greenland to Norway by the missionary Arnoldus von Westen Sylow in 1746, and whose depiction encourages discussion about what we know about the historic portrayal of Greenland.

Through a collaboration with the University Museum and the University of Bergen, we hosted activities, including keynotes and panel discussions, to highlight the role of art and museum exhibitions in disseminating knowledge about colonial histories, Inuit voices and allowing for critical reflection. The activities included contributions from art historians, curators, archeologists and more from Greenland, Denmark and Norway who have made important contributions to the exhibition project and to our understanding of Greenlandic history in general.

In the morning, we started with a closed-door sharing circle where we invited key contributors to share their research, knowledge and projects, through lectures which touched upon topics such as competing narratives of colonial history, shared recollections and responsibilities, and historical and contemporary narratives. A film showing of the history behind Maria from Paamiut, and a guided tour of the exhibition itself, followed. We are grateful to Sigrid Lien from the University of Bergen, Åshild Thorsen from the University Museum, Anne Mette Randrup Jørgensen from the Danish Arctic Institute, Kirstine Møller Gray from the University of Groningen, Emil Andersen from the National Museum of Denmark and Malin Barth from Kunsthall 3,14 for their excellent insights.

In the evening, we opened the celebration to the Bergen public and hosted additional keynotes and a panel discussion, followed by an open reception in which the audience was encouraged to mingle with the contributors and see the exhibition for themselves. The evening included excellent keynotes about Maria from Paamiut and other Inuit voices in history by art historian Tuva Mossin from the University of Bergen and curator Ivalo Katrine Birthe Foget Olsvig from the National Museum of Denmark, both of which have made significant contributions to the exhibition. A panel discussion with Mossin, Olsvig, Gray and Andersen then followed, in which moderator Aaron Spitzer, from the Department of Comparative Politics at the University of Bergen, facilitated deeper insights and questions into why it is important that we use exhibitions such as this to share forgotten voices and histories.

Thank you to all who attended and contributed! We look forward to further opportunities for highlighting art and history about Greenland and the Arctic.