Olaf Storø: STAY AWAY

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In the work Ligg unna (Stay away) (2019), a polar bear stares directly into our eyes, sending a clear message – you should not be here, this landscape is not made for humans. For Olaf Storø, the bear portrait may be a kind of self-portrait of an artist based in Longyearbyen, who has had enough of tourists arriving by plane and cruise ships – people hunting for various experiences, venturing out into the terrain on snowmobiles, four-wheelers, or boats, all of which are called "sustainable tourism." What are the animal perspectives on these issues? What is the polar bear thinking?

This exhibition highlights Olaf Storø as a graphic artist and allows us to take a closer look at the artistic process. Lithography, or stone printing, is a graphic technique for printing images. Olaf Storø (b. 1953 in Levanger) has worked with painting and lithography in his studio here in Longyearbyen – the world's northernmost lithography workshop – for over 20 years.

The exhibition is curated by Charis Gullickson in collaboration with the Nordnorsk Kuntmuseum. STAY AWAY will be on display until 14th September 2025.