By Fourcade22
On the night to Easter Monday a mural by the Norwegian health an elder’s minister Sylvi Listhaug, on a random door in the city of Bergen. The mural had a strong message, which caused a huge media storm. Listhaug is known to have very strong meanings about
immigration politics in Norway and wants to make it much stricter than it is today. The painting of Sylvi Listhaug was with her being crucified naked, with flowers and microphones pointing at her feets. As well as the countries Yemen and Palestine. Some other words such as hungers were also painted on there.
The aftermath over this mural got just as much media coverage as when it got first found. A group of students found the painting, which was on this moment painted over with a black color by someone else. They took it down, cleaned it up with nail polish. The students sold it to a buyer for 300.000 Norwegian kroner. The buyer then gave it away to a man named Tore Gudmenstad, who unfortunately lost his daughter to cancer. Gudmenstad then wanted to sell the painting at an auction, where the money he got for it, was then going to Kreftforeningen. Which is an organization that supports cancer research. The painting sold for 500.000 Norwegian kroner. As well as selling the it for 500.000 Norwegian kroner, it also raised another 200.000 Norwegian kroner when it was exhibited at the Street gallery in Bergen. Due to the large media coverage, the gallery did not need to use their own money on marketing. Something that is quite rare in today’s society.
So then comes the question. Is it politically correct to support such a great cause with this controversial painting? I think so. Art is about expressing yourself and have freedom to do whatever you want. And with all the attention and media coverage this paining got, it is great that the man who sold it gave the money away to cancer research. It can make more people aware of the organization and get more people to give money to them. Even though the original artist behind this painting said that he did not want to go out with his name, he encouraged whoever sold the painting to give it to charity. Him and Gudmenstad also critized the students that sold the painting for 300.000 Norwegian kroner, because they did not give it away to charity. Will we see more types of political arts in the future? Definitely. In the age where freedom of speech as well as more political scandals is more common, it is natural that more artist will make paintings with a strong message.
Sources:
https://www.vg.no/nyheter/innenriks/i/kar1jX/omstridt-listhaug-maleri-solgt-for-500000-kroner
https://www-sciencedirect-com.ezproxy.library.bi.no/science/article/pii/S0304422X14000175?via%3Dih
Making sense of art and design industries 