The 26 June opening of the Momentum Biennale in Moss, Norway, was marred by the absence of both the curator and several of the artists. Théo-Mario Coppola, who curated the exhibition, was fired last month, and several of the artists, including Nina Canell, Karol Radziszewski and Marinella Senatore, withdrew or have requested their work to be removed, in protest.
In a statement Galleri F15, the organisers of the biennial, claim that ‘Coppola’s professional conduct has caused irreparable damage to [their] relationship with our team’. The French curator denies being unprofessional and, in a lengthy open letter published on the Momentum 11 website, says Galleri F15 were unprepared for the technical needs of the show, had not prepared sufficiently for its installation, had refused to write a letter facilitating the French curator’s entry into Norway and had demanded unfair working conditions. Coppola also claimed that some artists had not received contracts and had not been paid. The website has no other content.
Italian artist Marinella Senatore, told The Art Newspaper that the biennial has executed her commissioned work without permission. ‘The biennale seems to be ignoring my emails and has gone ahead and produced my installation without my approval. Even when I requested my withdrawal, they persisted to show my work, even though I never signed a contract. This is unacceptable.’
Apparatus 22, Camilo Godoy, Délio Jasse, Augusto de Campos, Catherine David, Francesco Urbano Ragazzi, Silke Helfrich, Sandra Jeppesen, Orietta Lanzarini, Maria Noujaim, Frida Orupabo, Rahul Rao, Suely Rolnik, S-AR, Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Trinh T. Minh-ha, and Nina Canell, Karol Radziszewski and Marinella Senatore have written to protest Coppola’s sacking.
‘For the biennale to move forward, it is indispensable that the institution acknowledges Théo-Mario Coppola to be the author and curator of HOUSE OF COMMONS, and that it secures his return in this capacity,’ the artists write.
The biennial says that it has an ‘ethical’ obligation to continue with the show.
Titled House of Commons by Coppola, the biennial was intended to raise issues of ‘emancipation, resilience, reparation, and the formation and transmission of alternative narratives’ framed within the idea of ‘commonality’. The exhibition – which include newly-conceived or site-specific works – is spread across various venues and sites on the island of Jeløya, in the city of Moss and in the Oslo Fjord.
