(be)longing
2023

(be)longing was a six-part exhibition spanning over one year by the artist and publisher Jessica Williams at House of Foundation in Moss from 05.11.2022 to 10.12.2023.

(be)longing is collaborative, ever-evolving and experimental.

(be)longing encourages the practices of openness and radical empathy as tools for understanding.

This work is too big to describe in a few sentences. Too big for a paragraph.

The images above are from the final incarnation of the (be)longing reading room, presented in November 2023 as part of the last of six interconnected exhibitions presented over the course of a calendar year.

In total, five independent art book shops/actors cumulatively recommended books about identity, community, and/or publishing. For this exhibition period, it was Gloria Glitzer (DE).

Since 2022, House of Foundation has had a five-year initiative in which they offer the exhibition space to five artists who each use it for one calendar year. I was the second artist to try out this format which was neither established nor fixed, but tantalisingly spacious and open for interpretation. Thank you to Martin Sørhaug for the invitation, trust, and freedom.

My exhibition also serendipitously coincided with the Norwegian Art Council's pilot for the distribution and display of artist publications. Without this fund's solid initial support that opened the door for other funding bodies to follow suit, this project could have never been realised.

For three of the six periods, I curated and facilitated three group exhibitions. Each artist involved in the exhibition program also published an artist book together with me, through my imprint Hverdag Books:

Vicente Mollestad and Júlía Hermannsdóttir. With contributions from Bladr (DK) in the reading room.

Jelsen Lee Innocent and Robin Mientjes. With contributions from Tenthaus (NO) in the reading room. Also: a pop-up exhibition and public event by the first year masters students of the MAPS (Art in Public Space) program at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts.

Makda Embaie, Marina Dubia, and Shaon M. With publications purchased at the 2023 Bergen Art Book Fair (NO). These artists were chosen through an open call in the end of 2022.

Another exhibition period transformed the gallery into an open workshop. During this time I worked on a scrappy publication collecting the events of the year (so far) and helped other artists who could book time with me to print on the risograph. No experience necessary and for free. This period also included two free workshops for a drop-in public led by Zarina Saidova and Elisa Halvorsen Castillo.

In connection with each exhibition opening, there was a hybrid book launch and public talk between myself and the other artists.

But that's not all! (be)longing also held my two solo presentations and additional public talks, free workshops, and events. The image above is from the first version of the reading room in November 2022, featuring publications from Good Press (UK).

Additional documentation and information plus commissioned texts written by Kathy Cho, Jessica Lauren Elizabeth Taylor, Victoria Durnak, and Håkon Lillegraven can be found HERE.

Documentation by Tor S. Ulstein / Kunstdok, Jacky Jaan-Yuan Kuo, Jessica Williams, Martin Sørhaug.