July 7, 2021 

Momentum 11 takes place across various sites in Moss, Norway Photo: Eivind Lauritzen 

The eleventh edition of Moss, Norway’s Momentum biennial opened last weekend without its curator, and without the support of a number of the artists originally scheduled to participate, The Art Newspaperreports. Organizers last month fired the event’s Paris-based curator, Théo-Mario Coppola, citing poor professional conduct on Coppola’s part that caused “irreparable damage” to the relationship between curator and team. Rather than hire a new curator, the organizers, under the leadership of director Dag Aak Sveinar, went ahead and presented the biennial Coppola had curated, titled “House of Commons” and comprising a reader, a website, and a series of events as well as a number of new commissions.

Dag Aak Sveinar. Photo: Galleri F 15. 

Senatore said that Momentum’s organizers ignored her emails and produced her installation without her approval. “Even when I requested my withdrawal, they persisted to show my work, even though I never signed a contract,” she said. “This is unacceptable.” Radziszweski also was surprised to learn that the organizers planned to display his work without his approval. “I’ve never experienced anything like this in my life,” he said. “A biennale removing a curator and proceeding to go ahead despite numerous requests to have my work removed.”

In its statement, Momentum, which is directed by Dag Aak Sveinar, claims to have an obligation to proceed despite protests from the artists and curator. “We have an ethical and contractual obligation to the artist-practitioners and to our community to do so. We also have similar obligations towards our employees and collaborators,” the statement reads.