When I was a girl in Alabama, there was a print of Brudeferd i Hardanger (Bridal Procession on the Hardangerfjord) hanging in the foyer at home. The painting is Norwegian romantic nationalism at its finest. Bryllupsnatt i Geiranger (Wedding Night on the Geirangerfjord) is my contribution to contemporary Norwegian romantic nationalism.
While creating the painting, I experienced a disjointed stream of consciousness, floating between time and place. I want to provide an explanation because what the painting represents is important. Bear with me as I connect the dots.
When I was a girl studying the image of the bridal procession hanging in the foyer, Roe v. Wade was in place. It was safer to be a female in Alabama then, and it remained so until the Supreme Court decision was overturned in 2022. Since then, abortion bans have been sweeping through the US like wildfire. I worry about the girls and women there and must admit that I am relieved not to be one of them. I am grateful to live in Norway, where abortion is a free and accessible part of health care. No system is perfect, but what I have available to me here in Norway is infinitely better than what girls and women are allowed in the US.
When Bryllupsnatt was nearing completion, I was struck by how much the painting resembled the cover art of Portishead's album Dummy (1994). "Glory Box" was a hit single released from the album. If Bryllupsnatt were a song, "Glory Box" would be it. Check out the painting and listen to the song, and you will hear and see why.
Ultimately, we, as a people, came from and will continue to come from the bodies of women. Therefore, I do not see reproductive rights as a women's issue, and I do not believe it is a fight women will win if we are left to fight it alone. Our society lacks humility. Only through continued, collective support can there be long-lasting liberty and justice for all.
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