Maritea Dæhlin’s ‘A-FI-SA’ Opens in Bodø as Part of Parallel Presentation

Maritea Dæhlin’s first solo exhibition, ‘A-FI-SA. But it might not be tomorrow’, opens at Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum in Bodø on 3 September 2026. Running through 31 January 2027, the exhibition brings together an immersive video installation filmed in Longyearbyen and San Cristóbal de las Casas in Chiapas, Mexico, with analog photographs, mirror works and sound pieces. A parallel, adapted presentation will be shown at Oslo Kunstforening during the autumn.

The exhibition examines how memory, identity and belonging are shaped through the body, language, ritual and landscape. In the presentation, these elements are described as the work’s central points of orientation. Dæhlin considers how ritual actions and bodily presence in different environments can activate memories, play and possibilities for healing.

‘A-FI-SA’ developed from Dæhlin’s residency at Artica Svalbard in 2023, conversations with collaborators in Mexico and Svalbard, and her longer-term engagement with identity, movement and multilingualism. The word “afisa,” repeated throughout the work, is presented as an attempt to evoke connections to Medumba, a Bamiléké language spoken in Cameroon.

A generational perspective runs through the project. Dæhlin, who has roots in Norway, Mexico and Cameroon and is described by the museum as a third-generation artist, shares the scene with her daughter, Nina. Together, they create situations in which bodies and landscapes challenge familiar ideas about identity and belonging across a north–south axis. Other listed participants include Rafiki, Jenny Calderón and Medhin Tewolde Serrano.

The exhibition was first presented at Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum’s department at Nordover Kunstnersenter in Longyearbyen. Its Bodø presentation is curated by Liv Brissach, while Elisabeth Byre is named as co-curator for the Oslo Kunstforening presentation. The production team includes filmmaker Pablo Rojo, editor Dalia Huerta Cano, sound designer Truls Hannemyr and production contributors in both Svalbard and Mexico.

Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum operates venues in Tromsø, Bodø and Longyearbyen, with the Bodø museum located on Storgata 40. The institution’s current programme also includes exhibitions in Tromsø and Bodø, while its Longyearbyen venue presents projects connected to the museum’s work in the far north. During the run of ‘A-FI-SA’, Dæhlin is also scheduled to present a live programme in Bodø titled ‘When I See You. I See a Garden’; further details are to be announced.

The Bodø opening begins at 4 p.m. on 3 September, with the exhibition, refreshments and speeches, and Dæhlin is scheduled to attend. The presentation remains on view at Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum in Bodø until 31 January 2027.