For us in Norway, it is surprising that the Palestinians have their own organization for visual artists - their BKS. Surprisingly, the information you get through the international telegram agencies and our own press tells about the PLO's militia activities, but little or nothing about the diversity of the PLO's organization, health care, education, small industry, crafts and culture. Here, great emphasis is now placed on developing an environment for the visual arts.

Their visual arts organization is in a pioneering phase.

The artists live scattered. After the state of Israel was established in 1948 and a large part of the Palestinian people were expelled from their homeland, many live in refugee camps in Lebanon, others in Jordan, Syria and other Arab countries, some also in the Western world.

In addition, Palestinian artists work in Israel, in the occupied territories, and here under very difficult conditions. When we visited Beirut earlier this year, the artists' organization was informed that the Palestinian painter Suleiman Mansour, who was to open an exhibition, had had the exhibition suspended for the opening and the pictures seized.

Palestinian culture means Palestinian identity.

It is difficult to imagine a visual art for a people without a homeland. The harsh life in the refugee camp in poor housing and the fear of Israeli bombs, the hopeless conditions of the Palestinians in Israel and the occupied territories provide meager fertile ground for artistic activity. To compare Palestinian artists' relationship with goods would be absurd. We were talking about Norwegian decoration policy, and a Palestinian sculptor said: "For me, creating a monumental sculpture is a wishful dream. Where should it be set up in Palestine?"

We hope for a better future for the Palestinian people, a peaceful and just solution in the Middle East.

We hope for a rich development for the Palestinian visual arts and welcome our Palestinian colleagues to Kunstnernes Hus.

Thorstein Rittun

Chairman of the board