Astrup Fearnley Museum

of really terrible art

We ran into the Astrup Fearnley while we were walking along the waterfront, and the building was spectacular. On the outside were a few pieces of art that were whimsical and fun. So we decided to go back the next day and actually tour the museum. It turned out the main building was closed for renovations, but they had an auxiliary building they had moved the art too, and it was actually a fairly cool building in it's own right. The art... not so much. It was the super-Avant Garde kind of art where, for instance, there was one piece of art where you were invited to eat a portion of the artwork.

Ya, like that.


So, below, the long room with the blue thing on the floor at the end? It's a pile of candy and, yes, you were supposed to take one, lick it, wrap it back up and return it. I mean, eat it. There were discarded candy wrappers around the edges.  I'm not sure if that was part of the plan, or if people were just too lazy to throw the wrapper in a trash can. 

In the same room, off to the side, was the scary showerhead monster. Or possibly a mechanical floor washer. With shuriken.  Ok, those were cool but unlike the candy display you were not allowed to pick them up and throw them, which I found very disappointing.


Below, my personal fav from the exhibit, the long staircase, which is performance art because it doubles as an actual staircase. And you get to participate.  It's performance-participant art.  Alison thought it was just a staircase.  Clearly, she's not with the modern art scene the way I am.

Of course, no modern art collection would be complete without the Golden Michael Jackson and his Monkey Love.


There were other pieces of art that were less interesting. Three hoover vacuum cleaners. A Marlboro Cigarette poster. A bunch of chairs (that might not have been an actual piece of art, but it's hard to say). And one thing that was kind of entertaining, a button that, if you pushed it, opened a little portal to a blue room with a unicorn in it for about three seconds.

Back to main Oslo page