Frida Orupabo, born in 1986, is a sociologist and artist based in Oslo, Norway, and has achieved significant international success in recent years. Her image-based practice focuses primarily on digital and physical collages, where she explores issues of race, family relations, gender, sexuality, violence and identity. Her works often feature black bodies, subjected to exploitation throughout history. Orupabo manipulates pictures, cuts them out, adds and excludes elements, and then reassembles them. The result is comparable to paper dolls, but rather than play, they represent figures of resistance. The exhibition at Bonniers Konsthall presents several new works.
Biography
Frida Orupabo was born 1986 in Sarpsborg, Norway, and lives and works in Oslo. She presented solo exhibitions at Fotomuseum Winterthur (2022); Museu Afro Brasil, São Paulo (2021); Kunsthall Trondheim, Trondheim (2021); Huis Marseille, Amsterdam (2020); Portikus, Frankfurt am Main and Kunstnernes Hus, Oslo (both 2019). Orupabo participated in the Okayama Art Summit (2022); the 34th São Paulo Biennial (2021) as well as the 58th Venice Biennial (2018). Together with Ming Smith and Missylanyus, she presented her work in Arthur Jafa’s exhibition A Series of Utterly Improbable, Yet Extraordinary Renditions at Moderna Museet in Stockholm and Galerie Rudolfinum in Prague (both 2019), Julia Stoschek Collection, Berlin (2018), and Serpentine North Gallery, London (2017). Orupabo will be awarded the prize SPECTRUM – Internationaler Preis für Fotografie in 2025.
Her work is among others included in the collections of Tate, UK, Guggenheim Museum, USA, LACMA, USA, Kadist Foundation, France / USA, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark, Jumex Museum, Mexico, Fotomuseum Winterthur, Switzerland, Moderna Museet, Sweden, Perez Art Museum, USA, Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art, Norway, Göteborgs Konstmuseum, Sweden, KIASMA, Finland, A4 Arts Foundation, South Africa.
Commissioned by Bonniers Konsthall and Astrup Fearnley Museet. The exhibition will be presented at Astrup Fearnley Museet 7 Feb–25 Apr 2025.
Image: Frida Orupabo, Woman with Dog II, 2024
