Y-blokka

Y-blokka by Katja Høst is a set of 24 black-and-white postcards depicting the iconic modernist building, the Y-block, which formed part of the Norwegian government quarter for over fifty years.

Date
18 Oct 2019 - 31 Dec 2019

Venue
50 places around Oslo

Participants
Katja Høst

Information

Y-blokka by Katja Høst is a set of 24 black-and-white postcards depicting the iconic modernist building, the Y-block, which formed part of the Norwegian government quarter for over fifty years. Designed by architect Erling Viksjø, it features murals, on the facade and in the lobby, created by Pablo Picasso in collaboration with the Norwegian artist Carl Nesjar. Parts of the Y-Block has been abandoned since the government quarter was targeted during a terrorist attack carried out on July 22, 2011. Høst's postcards show the Government Quarter scarred by the bombings, addressing the lack of historical awareness in cultural policies allowing the forthcoming demolition of this major monument to the Norwegian welfare state. Y-blokka raises questions about ideological heritage and collective memory, and the structures and mechanisms that sustain it, both physical and emotional. The postcards will be distributed for free across the city, placed in display racks in public institutions, offices, agencies, book shops, hotels and kiosks. Confirmed locations include: The Munch Museum, Kunstnernes Hus, Henie Onstad Kunstsenter, Grev Wedels plass Auksjoner, Visit Oslo, the National Museum – Architecture, Quality Hotel 33, and The National Library.

For more information:
https://www.oslobiennalen.no/event/katja-host-y-block/