Podkast: Lotte Konow Lund, Sverre Koren Bjertnæs and Sumaya Jirde Ali

In the ninth edition of the conversation series Kunst og litteratur, Lotte Konow Lund speaks with Sverre Koren Bjertnæs and Sumaya Jirde Ali about literature, art, grief, and friendship.

Visual artist and author Sverre Koren Bjertnæs (b. 1976) wrote about upbringing and education, friendship, art, and alcoholism in the book Mine bilder / essays om alkoholisme (Aschehoug, 2021). In the newly published Morsdager(Aschehoug, 2026), he writes about love, art, and grief from his mother’s deathbed. Sumaya Jirde Ali (b. 1997), author, poet, playwright, anthropologist, and debater, has, through a number of books and poetry collections, addressed racism, marginalization, abuse, and grief, but also friendship, closeness, love, and comfort.

The two met through literature and art and have developed a close friendship. In 2021, Jirde Ali wrote poems both for Bjertnæs’ catalogue Avstand and for the poetry collection Du finnes, inspired by his works. In 2025, Sverre Koren Bjertnæs’ painting Gråmølna featured on the cover of Jirde Ali’s latest book Om kamp, om kjærlighet (Cappelen Damm, 2025).

The conversation series Kunst og litteratur is part of Oslo Kunstforening’s ongoing programme Tidsrommet, with activities taking place on the first floor of our premises. Tidsrommet is supported by Oslo kommune and Sparebankstiftelsen DNB.

This episode reproduces a live recording from Oslo Kunstforening on 12 March 2026.