ARTISTS IN 2025
Pia MYrvoLDis a Norwegian artist and designer specialized in interactive art interfaces. In her works she mixes technology and different artistic media, such as 3D animation, painting, video, fashion, and design to build a new relationship between the art, the dissemination of ideas, and the public. She lives and works in Paris.
Works: “The dreamers”
Gitte Sætre is a Norwegian visual artist and peace activist, engaged with themes such as peace, democracy, and social involvement. She works across various media, including painting, performance, photography, video, and sound. Sætre integrates historical and cultural references into her works.
Work: “Jobb eller fritid?”.
Shwan Dler Qaradaki is an artist who highlights themes of identity and multiculturalism through his diverse body of work. Employing a wide range of techniques, including drawing, painting, photography, installation, and video. He delves into how the world is composed of countless perspectives and the challenges this multiplicity brings to human encounters.
Film: “Under Mesopotamia’s Hot Sun”
Drawings: “Halo of Shame”
Edvarda Braanaas is a Norwegian artist based in Oslo and Los Angeles. Edvarda started her career as an artist at Scuola Internazionale di Grafica, in Venice, Italy in the early 80’s. Later she achieved her MA degree from the National Academy of the Arts and a BA degree in Art History from the University of Oslo.
Works: “Queens”.
Nurperi Orunbaeva is a multidisciplinary artist, curator, and art activist from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, who uses her practice to advocate for women’s rights, Kyrgyzstan’s cultural heritage, and the decolonization of the self. Her work, which includes painting, sculpture, and installations, addresses themes of women’s suppression and violence, historical legacy, and the power of community to foster change. Nurperi currently serves as an artist in residence at Safemuse in Hvitsten, Norway.
Works: “My heritage”.
Saba Pouyeshman is a 28-year-old Iranian artist currently based in Oslo, Norway. She came to Norway in 2024 as an artist in residency with Safemuse. She holds a Bachelor in Script Writing from the Tehran University of Arts and has studied acting at the Leev Theatre School in Tehran. Today her artistic practice merges both acting and visual arts. Her work is inspired by the darker realms of Persian mythology.
Performance “The secret life of a shameless demon” on October 25th at 12.00
Sissel Mutale Bergh is an artist, researcher and filmmaker who explores the human relationship with land, memory and power. Drawing on her Sámi Norwegian background, she examines the crossfertilization of Sámi and mainstream culture, exposing the political motives behind colonialist attempts to repress Sámi heritage.
Film: “Everything is speaking. First draft on Gorrie guanna”
Drawing: “GUANNA SÅÅLE SJÏELE”
Kristin Romberg is a Norwegian visual artist known for her large-scale, colorful, and tactile paintings that evoke nature and magic, often presented as free-hanging installations. Her practice also includes site-specific installations and performances, drawing inspiration from the landscapes around her and translating them into abstract, energetic works on raw cotton canvas. Her education includes fine arts at the University of Sydney, and she has exhibited her work internationally and participated in numerous residencies worldwide.
Works: “I Did It For You My Friend”.
Grethe Nestor and Norunn Blichfeldt Schjerven created the comic strip Zofie’s World which ran in Dagbladet from 2008 to 2012 and was also published in Kamille, Nettavisen, and Pondus. The series was strongly inspired by pop art and the artist Roy Lichtenstein. The strips often featured illustrations of everyday events, where the dialogue did not directly correspond to what was depicted in the illustrations.
Work: “Zofies Verden”
Hediyeh Azma is an Iranian dancer, choreographer, educator, and dance-researcher based in Norway. With over 25 years of experience, she trained in Iranian classical and folk dances. She preserves this movement tradition through performing at cultural events and reinterprets it in her contemporary choreographic projects. She established the first Iranian Kids’ Dance Ensemble, where she both
teaches and creates choreography for children.
Performance on October 16th and November 2nd.
Markus Brendmoe (b. 1961, Oslo) was educated at the National Academy of Fine Arts and Atelier Warsinski. He has held solo exhibitions at institutions including the Astrup Fearnley Museum and the Stenersen Museum. Brendmoe is known for paintings that explore the limits and history of the medium. His works are represented in major collections such as the National Museum, the Astrup Fearnley Museum, Arts Council Norway, H.M. Queen Sonja’s Art Collection, and Equinor.
Works: “Lucretia”.
Madihe Gharibi has been working as a playwright and theatre director in Iran. She has completed a Master’s program in Fine Art at the Art Academy of Bergen. Her practice is based on time-based and live art, and storytelling is at the core of her works.
Sound work: “Blue Echoes”.
Performance on November 2nd at 17.00.
Julie Hrnčířová (b. 1992) is a Czech visual artist currently based in Oslo. She holds a degree from École Nationale Supérieure de la Photographie in Arles, France. Hrnčířová´s works mainly with the medium of photography, and her practice revolves around public space, urban environments, still lifes, and discarded objects, where she explores the interplay between different media.
Works: Mortensrud Sirkusskole
Tunstrøm is a Pop Art painter and is greatly inspired by both Pushwagner and Kjell Aukrust. He has previously held many painting workshops for children and believes it is important to offer creative activities for kids, as football isn’t for everyone.
Painting workshop for children on October 19th and 25th from 12.00 – 15.00.
Yurley, also known as Yurleyley, teaches hip hop for children ages 8–10. She is a member of both Subsdans Crew, dEEp doWN dopEiZM, and the dance collective B16. She has been dancing with Subsdans since she was 7 years old and is now also part of the teaching team. Yurley attended the street dance program at Edvard Munch Upper Secondary School.
Performance on October 16th at 17.30.
Dance workshop on October 17th from 18.00 – 20.00.
Julie Falkevik is a pianist and singer, working with artists such as Erlend Ropstad, Maria Solheim, and on Beat for Beat, NRK. She also has her own projects such as “Du og jeg og vi 2 – 3 – 4 and Falkevik”.
With courage, creativity, and love of improvisation.
Performance on October 16th at 19.00 – 20.00
Pouya Multidisciplinary artist with over 20 years of experience in music, composition, sound design, and performance across international platforms. His expertise in both traditional and electronic music. He has collaborated with renowned artists and been featured in prestigious festivals worldwide. He has more than 10 years of experience in theatre: acting, composing, and directing.
Performance “The secret life of a shameless demon” on October 25th at 12.00
Astrid Mæland (b. 1996) is a dance artist based in Oslo, holding a BA in Dance from the University of Stavanger and Instituto del Teatre in Barcelona. She works as a performer, choreographer, producer, teacher, and actor, engaging in various artistic processes. Mæland is part of the performing arts collective VÅKEN, and has previously worked with choreographers Helene Düring Kjær, Carl André Johansson, and RØST Productions.
Performance “MAIN CHARACTER” on October 19th at 14.00
Fru Bugge is a self-taught artist from Norway whose practice is rooted in the vibrant visual language of urban environments. She collects advertising posters from city streets around the world, using them as the foundation for her collages. Her works have been presented in numerous solo and group exhibitions in both Norway and the United States, and she has also completed several large-scale outdoor commissions.
Collage workshop on Saturday 18th from 12.00 – 15.00
Justyna Anna Smolka (b. 1975) is a visual artist working at the intersection of aesthetic beauty and conceptual unease. Her practice encompasses drawing, painting, and sculpture, creating works that guide the viewer through a sensory journey of form and color — from the hidden to the visible, and back again.
Works: “Skrik så høyt du kan”.
Renate Kurszus (b. 1977) is an artist based in Bærum, Norway. She studied at the Bergen School of Art (1999–2001) and is currently completing her third year of a Bachelor’s degree in Art and Design at OsloMet. Kurszus works with installation, embroidery, and hand tufting on cotton canvas, exploring materiality and texture through tactile and meditative processes.
Works: “Etter middag”.
Students studying KDA (art, design, and architecture) and English at Hersleb VGS participated in a workshop with artist Madihe Gharibi in September 2025. They created works exhibited at the festival. They employed various techniques, including drawing, painting, needlework, installation, graffiti, and textile.
Works: “Female power”
