OPEN UP YOUR EYES
Høyersten Contemporary is happy to collaborate with MELK to celebrate their 15th anniversary. We are thrilled to present OPEN UP YOUR EYES, a group exhibition
curated by MELK.
MELK, founded in Oslo in 2009, was established to address the need for an alternative
photography gallery in Norway—one that would move beyond traditional documentary
approaches. With a naive and playful approach to the medium, MELK aimed to gather and
support a new generation of photographic artists who were interested in exploring the
boundaries of photographic expression. Today, celebrating its 15th anniversary, MELK has
become a leading platform for Nordic photography. Over the past 15 years, MELK has
produced more than 100 solo exhibitions and collaborated with over 150 Norwegian and
International artists, curating shows at major Norwegian institutions such as Kunstnernes
Hus, Fotogalleriet, and Henie Onstad Kunstsenter. Additionally, MELK has published two
books, New Scandinavian Photography and Why Photography?, both of which have been
widely distributed internationally through Black Dog Publishing and Skira Editore, expanding the reach of Nordic perspectives within the global photographic dialogue.
OPEN UP YOUR EYES brings together a diverse group of artists whose work spans
documentary, experimental, and conceptual practices, addressing cultural and
environmental questions through a wide array of photographic approaches. These artists
use the lens not only as a tool for documentation but as a means to disrupt conventions,
inviting viewers to engage more deeply with the potential of contemporary photography.
Through their work, they confront audiences with questions of identity, place, memory, and
perception. Each piece in the exhibition challenges viewers to re-evaluate the familiar,
encouraging them to look beyond the surface and see the world with fresh eyes.
In assembling these 11 artists, Melk presents a dynamic view of conceptual photography
today—a field that embraces ambiguity, challenges established narratives, and offers new
ways of seeing and understanding. OPEN UP YOUR EYES invites us to explore the possibilities of photography as a medium that, in its complexity, holds the power to reshape our perceptions of the world around us.
The invited artists are Dev Dhunsi / Erik Gustafsson / Frido Evers / Geir Moseid / Christian
Tunge / Hilde Honerud / Ingrid Eggen/ Marianne Bjørnmyr / Thora Dolven Balke / Sandra
Vaka / Victor Nicolai