Image: Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art, London
Astrup Fearnley Museet in Oslo will host a public conversation on artistic practice, journalism and freedom of expression in Latin America on 3 September, held in connection with its retrospective exhibition ‘Beatriz González’. Journalist and documentary filmmaker Erling Borgen will join Martha Rubiano Skretteberg, with the discussion moderated by Ingrid Fadnes, a journalist on the feature desk of the Norwegian newspaper Klassekampen.
The event will examine how journalism and art operate under political repression and authoritarian regimes. Borgen will begin from his own experience as a journalist and Latin America correspondent, while Skretteberg will draw on González’s work to discuss the effects of Colombia’s prolonged history of violence on individuals, families and communities.
Skretteberg’s contribution will also consider how people have continued their lives after loss and displacement, and how the country’s conflict continues to shape Colombian society during and after the 2016 peace agreement. The speakers’ introductions will be followed by a moderated conversation led by Fadnes, whose reporting focuses on Latin America, Indigenous issues, climate, security policy and activism.
The discussion is framed by González’s sustained investigation into the power of images to communicate, influence and shape perceptions of the world. According to the museum, the exhibition presents works based on found images that the Colombian artist has collected throughout her life. Her practice addresses subjects including political violence, the climate crisis and life in different Indigenous communities, while placing these specifically Colombian concerns within broader questions of global politics and human experience.
‘Beatriz González’ brings together more than 150 works in a retrospective spanning the artist’s practice from the 1960s to the present. The exhibition runs at Astrup Fearnley Museet from 12 June through 11 October 2026. The museum describes González’s imagery as direct and uncompromising, with works that transform source material through a distinctive visual language.
Borgen is professor emeritus of socially critical documentary practice and worked for 20 years at NRK, including as a correspondent covering Latin America and Asia. He has made more than 80 television documentaries and has taught documentary practice at Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences. He has also led seminars for persecuted journalists in several Latin American countries.
Skretteberg is a lawyer who was born and educated in Bogotá and has studied criminology and refugee law at the University of Oslo. Her previous leadership roles include directing the Norwegian Refugee Council’s work in Latin America, leading FOKUS and serving as secretary-general of Caritas Norway. Fadnes has lived and worked in Latin America and has experience in journalism and documentary work in the region. The conversation takes place from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Astrup Fearnley Museet, Strandpromenaden 2, Oslo. It requires advance registration and is included with museum admission; admission is free for members.
