We have digitized over 1,800 historical slides from our archive!

Over the past month, I have been working on implementing a new archival system at Kunstnernes Hus. In the process, I stumbled upon a box that turned out to be a dream project. Inside were 1,884 slides from 1980 to 2004. The images revealed the breadth of the house’s history and were brimming with charm, rebellion, originality – and, of course, art!

Digitizing these images was easier said than done. After a series of failed attempts, I contacted ILFR, which preserves a vast collection of fashion slides. Their expertise proved invaluable in understanding the nature of slides and paved the way towards building a macro photography rig.

Slides require stronger light and have a narrower dynamic range than a standard film negative. They are also pre-corrected in color and are exposed to be projected through a slide projector. This makes them impossible to process properly with the standard scanner we have at Kunstnernes Hus. To digitize them without purchasing new equipment, I developed a photo rig using a bench vise and a laser-cut slide holder. The slides were illuminated with light from a 5700 Kelvin LED panel and then captured through macro photography.

The images offer a unique glimpse into the shifting artistic currents over the years. In the 1980s, the collection reflects a strong drive for experimentation and innovation, with works in graphics, textile art, and material explorations. Later, the program evolved towards a more globalized approach, featuring exhibitions such as American Contemporary Art (1988) and Japan Today (1996), highlighting international artists.

At the same time, the exhibition halls remained a vital arena for Norwegian artistic practices, with presentations of artists such as Per Kleiva, Bodil Cappelen, and Simen Johan.

What I find most fascinating about the photographs is that they convey the perspective of their time. Many of the slides are full of small details that bring the exhibitions to life – artist conversations with the audience, technical solutions for presenting works, or architectural changes in the galleries that prepared the stage for new chapters in our history. These images are not just an archive; they are a window into Kunstnernes Hus as a living art scene over a span of 25 years.

Below is a selection of the digitized photographs:

The digitization of the slide archive allows us to once again share a vital part of the institution’s history with new generations. Kunstnernes Hus has always been a place in motion – and through these images, we can see how it has been shaped by different times, expressions, and generations.

The photographs will be continuously uploaded to their respective exhibitions in our digital archive.