The Art Newspaper

Artist cancels provocative show after Norway terror attack

Work by former pop star includes blood-stained sheets from hospitals

By Clemens Bomsdorf. Web only
Published online: 31 August 2011

From pop to art: Magne Furuholmen

OSLO. “Futura Plus”, an exhibition by artist Magne Furuholmen (who goes by the name Magne F), was cancelled following the terror attacks in Norway on 22 July, in which 77 people were killed. The show was due to launch the opening of Stolper + Friends, the new Oslo branch of London dealer Paul Stolper, on 1 September.

Neither Furuholmen, who was previously a member of Norwegian pop group A-ha, nor the gallery, would release images of the withdrawn works, but the artist told The Art Newspaper that “words including 'death' and 'accident', painted on blood-stained sheets collected from hospital autopsy-rooms and similar… seem inappropriate at this point in time.”

He has not decided whether to show the works at a future date, and did not want to elaborate further about their content. Instead the gallery, co-owned by Stopler, Furuholmen and the Norwegian dealer Hugo Opdahl, is showing a group of large-scale butterfly prints by Damien Hirst, “The Souls” (to 2 October).