Contemporary art will play a central role when MUNCH opens in Oslo 2021. Meanwhile, you can get a digital taster from some of the artists in the upcoming programme at the new museum. CADS is an exhibition serie in three parts, which consists of short, digital artworks presented on our website. 

During the pandemic, the Internet has brought us closer together, given us the opportunity to stay in touch and made social lockdowns and quarantines less lonely. There no longer exists a clear distinction between the digital and physical realms, but the longing for intimacy beyond the screen has intensified. The three chapters of CADS each examine different aspects of virtual reality, and how it affects our worldviews and identities.

17 - 18 June is the grand finale of CADS, where you can experience all 15 artworks from the three chapters at the same time.

The first exhibition in the series, CADS #1: Screen Culture (11 March - 6 April), features artists Camille Henrot, Sofia Caesar, Stine Janvin, Milad Forouzandeh og Lex Brown. For many of us, daily life is dominated by screens, whether it be for work, school or leisure. We are constantly available through our phones, tablets and PCs. Through these devices, the world is just one click away, making it is easier to disappear down rabbit holes. During the coronavirus pandemic, the screen also became the only way to maintain social contact for many people. The artists participating in the first part of CADS highlight different aspects of our current screen culture. They illustrate how difficult it is to put your phone away, or how absurd it is to try to relax on a “workation”. They also show how the Internet has become a sorely needed extension of the home during the pandemic, and how information from disparate sources can create a wonderful catalogue over the world.

CADS #2: The Game of Life (15 April - 11 May) features artists Simone C Niquille/Technoflesh, Cory Arcangel, Sondra Perry, Sara Sadik og Cao Fei. There is no longer exists a clear distinction between the inside and the outside of our digital lives. The number of likes we receive on our social media posts affects us, algorithms decide who we are, based on limited data, and giant companies profit from our digital presence. The artists in the second part of CADS examine the consequences of this erosion of the barrier between online and offline. The value of the digital “heart” gets questioned, and automated job interviews offer scary scenarios for a future in which machines determine personal suitability via facial mapping software. The artists show how our digital bodies can be exploited without our consent, but also show how our virtual lives can offer an equivalent space for thinking, feeling and reflection, inextricably linked to the so-called real world.  

In the final instalment of the exhibition series, CADS #3: Queer desires (20 May - 18 June), you can experience works from Bendik Giske, Jacolby Satterwhite, Erin Johnson, Zackary Drucker and Xanthe Dobbie. The artists queer the notions of desire, the meaning of family and the beguiling qualities of the Internet. The significance of matrilineal ties, whether biological or “logical”, is celebrated and music and movement are key. Viewers are invited to discover which internet phenomena they are and childhood dance moves are digitalised for an eternal life. Some of the protagonists move in isolation through an empty historical theatre, whereas others enjoy the fruits of nature in communion with others. After a long period of lockdown, the artworks point longingly and hopefully towards a future in which intimacy transcends the screen.    

CADS is curated by Vilde M. Horvei & Ilavenil Vasuky Jayapalan.