The fifth edition of the Arctic Art Forum will take place from 7–26 March 2026 at Klimahuset (the Climate House) in Oslo, bringing together artists, researchers and cultural practitioners to explore the lived realities of climate change in the Arctic.
This year’s forum focuses on the everyday impact of environmental transformation on people, animals and fragile ecosystems in the High North. The theme highlights irreversible changes that often remain invisible from political and economic capitals where key decisions about the Arctic are made.
At the heart of the 2026 programme lies a critical question: How can artists mobilise knowledge and research without reproducing imperialist approaches or colonial modernity? The forum seeks to address this challenge through artistic research, interdisciplinary exchange and grassroots collaboration.
The main public event will be a Symposium on 14 March, featuring artists and researchers engaged in Arctic-focused practices. A film screening will follow on 15 March, expanding the conversation through moving image and visual storytelling.
A Platform Rooted in the High North
Established and run by artists from the Arctic region, the Arctic Art Forum was launched in 2016 as a space for interdisciplinary dialogue among art and cultural practitioners. Since its inception, the forum has emphasised people-to-people collaboration and alternative, sustainable narratives shaped through artistic knowledge production.
The previous four editions (2016–2020) examined Arctic art histories through a decolonial lens, challenging dominant hierarchies in knowledge production and addressing issues such as extractivism, care, memory and cultural erasure. Drawing on ecofeminist perspectives, the forum aligns its work with processes of “epistemic unlearning” — questioning inherited frameworks and creating new spaces for dialogue across cultural and political boundaries.
Art as Resistance and Reimagining
The Arctic has long been framed by narratives of progress, innovation and resource potential. Yet large-scale economic and military projects in the region have often led to ecological degradation and the erosion of Indigenous and local cultural heritage.
In response, the Arctic Art Forum positions itself as both a critique and an alternative. Through exhibitions, performances and discussions, it fosters collaborative artistic practices that advocate for ecological and cultural stewardship. The forum reimagines the High North not as a frontier for extraction, but as a space of resilience, cultural innovation and ecological awareness.
Beyond environmental concerns, the 2026 forum also addresses broader geopolitical tensions. It raises pressing questions about peace, dialogue and the possibility of cooperation in an increasingly polarised global landscape.
By convening artists, researchers and international collaborators in Oslo this March, the Arctic Art Forum continues its mission to reshape how the Arctic is understood — not merely as a site of crisis, but as a space for critical reflection, solidarity and creative transformation.
Registration for the main event on the 14th March
Source: Arctic Art Institute