Mother Nature on a Saturday Night

Nature seen from female photographers’ perspective

By and with the photography collective A Female Gaze: Kaja Bruskeland – Erika Hebbert – Trine Hisdal – Sofie Amalie Klougart – Elen Sonja Klouman – Erle Kyllingmark - Tine Poppe – Pernille Sandberg –Rebecca Zeller - Charlotte Wiig - Maya Økland

Mother Nature on a Saturday Night is a group exhibition that explores Norwegians’ relationship with nature and challenges traditional expectations of nature and landscape photography.  The exhibition will be shown for the first time during the Oslo Negativ Photography festival from September 23rd to October 16th, 2022. 

Nature as national identity

From the time of the Norwegian Romantic Nationalism movement, the ideals of Norwegian landscape have been deeply rooted in the Norwegian soul and identity as a manifestation of who we are and what we value. The experience of the sublime, as seen in Norwegian art historical context, could be said to be portrayed by steep mountains, deep fjords, and dramatic lighting - all of which reaffirms that nature is larger and more powerful than humans - perhaps even bigger than God. This particular cultural phenomenon - this religious-like reverence for nature - is typically Norwegian and recognised, understood, and practiced by Norwegians, but widely misunderstood by others. In this exhibition we ask ourselves why this almost 200 year old notion is still so prevalent in today’s society, what expectation it places on its inhabitants, and the character it exposes in our culture.

In the history of artistic mediums, the advent of photography as a technique and expression coincides with the growing acceptance of female artists. However, nature and landscape photography is still a heavily male-dominated field. Therefore, our wish is to present a counterbalance to the male gaze within this genre, whilst at the same time to explore the Norwegian concept of nature as a culturally defining force. 

The group consists of photographers from several countries and backgrounds, all of whom are residents in Norway and work professionally within the photographic fields of art, advertising, portraiture, documentary, and media. With a critical eye, humour, and personal memories, our aim is to make an exhibition that delights, surprises, and gives pause. Some of the photographers will explore the notion that nature has become synonymous with outdoor life and sport, and question the extent to which this ideal is unique to the Norwegian national identity, thereby informing our conception of virtue and merit. Others will assert that nature’s status in Norway is higher than that of culture, almost on a religious level. Still others feel they fail their Norwegian roots by having no interest in fjords and mountains. Yet others wish to portray their deep love for nature and their worries about climate change.