Meredith Monk – composer, performer, and interdisciplinary artist – is one of the great artistic pioneers of our time, yet her profound cultural influence remains largely unacknowledged. As a female artist in the male-dominated New York art scene of the 1960s and 70s, Monk had to fight for recognition and resources, as well as against sexist criticism. With Monk’s music at its core, and featuring interviews with artists such as Björk and David Byrne, Monk in Pieces forms a mosaic that mirrors the structure of Monk’s own work, illuminating her uniquely original vocabulary of sound and image.

This is the first screening in our new program series, Film Portraits of Artists. The series is supported by the Norwegian Film Institute.

The screening on 29.10. is introduced by Lisa Rosendahl.

Lisa Rosendahl is a Swedish curator and writer based in Oslo. She was the curator of the 2019 and 2021 editions of the Gothenburg International Biennale for Contemporary Art (GIBCA). Since 2018, she has been an associate professor in exhibition studies at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts.

The screening on 2.11. is introduced by Maja S. K. Ratkje.

Ratkje is a composer, performer and improvisational musician. Her music has been performed by leading orchestras and ensembles all over the world. As a composer, she has collaborated closely with performers such as Ensemble Modern, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Klangforum Wien, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Red Note Ensemble, POING to name a few. As an improvisational musician, Ratkje is known for her collaborations with the group SPUNK and with Avant Joik. Other collaborators include: POING, Stian Westerhus, Signe Emmeluth, Erlend Apneseth Trio and Nordic Affect.

Before each edition of the screening series Film Portraits of Artists we will present an episode of artist Tarje Eikanger Gullaksen's animated choir work A four finger thing in itself.