Graduating from the curatorial studies at Bergen Academy of Art and Design in 2014, Mei Szetu is a freelance curator based between Oslo and the island of Nyksund (in the Norwegian Arctic). With a background as an economist and an advertising executive for 15 years in London – common features of her work involves facilitating new, alternative infrastructure and modes of production for art and artists.
Part of the Bergen Assembly birthing team for its first triennial – Monday Begins on Saturday in 2013, she also assisted with the first Screen City Biennale in Stavanger 2013, and the production of Coast Contemporary in 2015 (& 2019). Coast Contemporary is a unique social and discursive platform for the Norwegian art community, that also expands its international ties and encourages future projects between Norwegian artists and international curators. Szetu curated the artistic program for the Arctic Art Forum Maps of meaning, in Arkhangelsk Russia 2018, and is currently working on an exhibition and public program for the Borneo Art Hive 2020, Borneos first ever contemporary international art gathering.
With 5 years of institutional experience, she ran Vestlandsutstillingen, Norways oldest touring exhibition from 2013 – 2015. Areas of curatorial development during this tenure, was to prioritize the way in which we can speak to audiences of more challenging contemporary expressions – to whom such language is often perceived as alienating. This was done by developing technical touring solutions to allow for new media works to be adequately shown. A program of performance-based art was also commissioned through curator Kjersti Solbakken to highlight the shifting models of exhibition formats in local contexts.
As the director of Lydgalleriet 2014-2017 (the worlds longest running specialist sound art gallery), she produced and managed their exhibitions/performances/festivals and discursive programs. In 2016, she co-curated (together with curator Rune Schønning) Camille Norment’s exhibition “Lull”, and its publication at Lydgalleriet for Bergen International Art Festival. Where appropriate, and always considered in any programming, the curatorial responsibility is to include underrepresented groups of artists, their politics and modes of expression.
The hard to categorize nature of sound art has influenced her advocacy for more experimental processes in art production – where the artist and their needs can bebetter supported. In response to this – she established the project space The Nyksund Cooperative, due to be launched summer 2020. Participants confirmed to date include the duo Anders Smedby & Anders Dahl Monsen, and composer Rie Nakajima together with the founders (Hamish Dunbar and Keiko Yamamoto) of Cafe Oto in London. In addition to a contained studio space in its own right, the cooperative also acts as a professional programming partner for local authorities, festivals and other culturally focused initiatives.
She was recently artistic consultant for a public art commission for Sortland Fire Station, with artist Marie Buskov, and is working on a new commissions for local authorities in the north of Norway.
The recent convergence of works at, or relating to the sea, and a passion for critical and urgent concerns around the politics of coastal geographies and their politics along rising shorelines would suggest that Mei has evolved into a coastal curator.
Szetu has previously sat on the Board for Østre Kulturhus for Lydkunst, of Elektronisk musikk, and for Borealis Contemporary Music Festival in Bergen and is currently a representative of the election committee for Forbundet Frie Fotografer, the national organization for photographers and camera based artists in Norway.
