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      • Withdrew after Astrup Fearnley oil link

Withdrew after Astrup Fearnley oil link

Astrup Fearnley’s collaboration with the controversial oil company, Lundin Petroleum, recently lead to the withdrawal of one of the museum’s guest speakers. – No big drama, says the museum’s director.

Kim West is the editor of the Swedish issue of Kunstkritikk and had planned to give a speech concerning art criticism at the Astrup Fearnley Museum. The talk was shelved, however, as a reaction to the museum’s collaboration with Lundin Oil.

– It is problematical that when the Astrup Fearnley has received new information about Lundin, they nevertheless choose to enter into a collaboration which must be interpreted as active support, he says to NRK.no.

The oil company has been the object of a great deal of media attention in our neighbouring country over the last few years. At the end of the 1990s, Lundin established itself in disputed areas in Congo, Sudan and Uganda, which then existed more or less in a state of lawlessness.

The accusations, which come from many directions, claim that the company has been complicit in unlawful killings and crimes against humanity in the course of its hunt for oil and land in the African countries.

Causing a stir in Sweden

West says that the Astrup Fearnley is currently the object of a kind of attention in the Swedish media that it could well do without.

– Lundin Petroleum’s activities have received a great deal of attention in the last year. Now many of the daily newspapers have reported upon the relationship between Astrup Fearnley and Lundin, so I hope that leads to as many people as possible making up their mind about the case.

– Many long-established organisations in Sweden have distanced themselves from Lundin after the company refused to initiate an independent inquiry into its behaviour in Sudan.

May be damaging to the Astrup Fearnley

The oil company has previously denied all the allegations but this is not good enough for Kim West. He thinks the collaboration is becoming damaging to the Astrup Fearnley.

– The collaboration undermines the Astrup Fearnley’s critical legitimacy and the way in which they choose to ignore the facts is disappointing.

No big drama

Museum Director Gunnar B. Kvaran does not quite see the big drama in a guest speaker choosing to stay at home.

– Kim West is of course entitled to cancel his lecture. He has his own reasons and we respect that. He’s one of tens of guest speakers that are coming, so we don’t see any big drama in this at all, says Kvaran to NRK.no.

By all accounts, the Astrup Fearnley’s controversial relationship to Lundin is set to last a while longer, despite the massive criticism coming from both Norway and Sweden.

– We have been in contact with a number of Swedish sources but we currently do not know anything more about the case. The claims against Lundin are extremely serious but we have not received any information that confirms the claims. The case is currently being dealt with by the Swedish justice system so we will be waiting until a judgment has been made.

Monitoring developments in Sweden

Kvaran is monitoring developments in the Swedish media but is doubtful whether the Lundin case will have any influence on the museum’s credibility.

– This is obviously a very big case in Sweden with many central politicians involved. It is difficult to know if this will have any negative effect on the Astrup Fearnley, but I sincerely hope that it doesn’t.

Lundin Petroleum

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