where others had stepped there were traces in us

Melanie Kitti and Elina Waage Mikalsen
Curated by Koffi & Højgaard

gos earát ledje duolbman lei mearka mis
der andre hadde tråkket var det avtrykk i oss
where others had stepped there were traces in us

where others had stepped there were traces in us presents the artists Melanie Kitti (b. 1986, SE) and Elina Waage Mikalsen (b. 1992, NO/SÁ). Both are interdisciplinary artists working across media. While Waage Mikalsen is both a musician and artist, Kitti’s work is a combination of her writing, painting and sculptural practices. In recent years, both artists have established themselves as significant voices in the contemporary art scene, each with a distinctive artistic language.

By inviting the two artists to inhabit the same exhibition space, curators Pauline Koffi Vandet (b. 1994, DK/CI) and Ida Højgaard Thjømøe (b. 1991, NO/DK), have created a dynamic that places the artists in dialogue with each other. This dialogue occurs conceptually, materially and spatially. Sometimes this dialogue reveals their artistic differences in counterpoint and sometimes the works resonate with each other, creating a harmonious polyphony.

Both artists process fragments of memory, both collective and personal. These fragments speak to wider notions of cultural heritage, cultural identity, marginalization, othering and belonging–notions that we inherit through impressions, traces, and scars inflicted on those who came before us. Both Kitti and Waage Mikalsen demonstrate how they are personally and collectively shaped by physical and abstract traces from previous generations – from both close familial relationships and also from powerful structural oppressions. These are traces from the past that create a complex web of imprints in the present. 

The exhibition is part of Oslo Kunstforening’s initiative  New Voices, where external, younger curators are invited to develop and curate an exhibition project specifically for the institution. The exhibition is supported by Art Council Norway and Danish Arts Foundation and The City of Oslo, in connection with the commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the city.

Melanie Kitti (b. 1986, SE) is an artist and writer educated at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen, the Oslo National Academy of the Arts, and at the Writers' School in Copenhagen. Her critically acclaimed debut book Halvt urne, halvt gral was published by Gyldendal in 2022. Kitti was one of the founders of Abhivyakti, a non-profit magazine with only BIPOC contributors, and has helped organize the exhibition space Destiny’s in Oslo (2016–22). Kitti's works have been shown in solo and group exhibitions at places such as Overgaden in Copenhagen (2023), Rønnebæksholm in Næstved (2022–23), the National Museum in Oslo (2022), and Carl Eldh's studio museum in Stockholm (2024). 

Elina Waage Mikalsen (b. 1992, NO/SÁ) is an artist and musician from Romssa/Tromsø. She works with a wide range of media, primarily focusing on sound and listening. Waage Mikalsen was educated at the Nordland Art and Film School, Academy of Arts in Tromsø and the Oslo National Academy of the Arts. From 2022-24 she was a guest artist and co-curator at Borealis – a festival for experimental music. She runs Šuvva, a platform for Sámi sound art, experimental music, and listening. Waage Mikalsen has exhibited and performed nationally and internationally at venues such as the National Museum in Oslo, the Singapore Biennale, the Lofoten International Art Festival, Kunsthal Charlottenborg in Copenhagen, and Kunstnernes Hus in Oslo. 

The curatorial duo Koffi & Højgaard was founded in 2023 and consists of Pauline Koffi Vandet (b. 1994, DK/CI) and Ida Højgaard Thjømøe (b. 1991, DK/NO). Their goal is to use the exhibition space as a platform for difficult, conflict-filled, and vulnerable conversations. In addition to their joint curatorial practice, Koffi Vandet works as the temporary director at Fotografisk Center, and Højgaard Thjømøe works as an art consultant for the Danish Arts Foundation and runs HAC – a consultancy for art in public spaces. In 2024, they will curate exhibitions at Nikolaj Kunsthal and the Oslo Kunstforening with associated event programs.