The art section of the Norwegian Critics’ Association (Norsk kritikerlag) welcomes you to the
international, online edition of «This is How I Write» with the invited guests; Julia Grosse
and Estelle Nabeyrat. Moderated by philosopher, independent researcher, curator, and art
critic Sofia M. Ciel. The conversation will be held in English and streamed via Zoom (we will
soon share a link!). It is also possible to see the streamed meeting at the Kunstnernes hus
cinema.
The work of the critic has been much discussed in recent years; particularly with a focus on
the critic and criticism’s increasingly vulnerable situation. The conversation series «This is
How I Write» aims to give a professional insight into the art critic’s work as a writing
practice. In 2021 and 2023, the Norwegian Critics’ Association conducted four critic talks in
Oslo, Trondheim, Bergen, and Tromsø, intending to strengthen the conversation around the
critic’s role and create a better understanding of the importance of criticism for the local art
scene in the listed cities. The international edition seeks to broaden that perspective. We
therefore invite two experienced, international critics to a conversation about their work as art
critics, and how they operate within their specific fields.
Julia Grosse is co-founder and artistic director of the platform Contemporary And (C&). She
is a lecturer at the Institute for Art in Context at the University of the Arts in Berlin and
associate curator at Gropius Bau. Grosse studied art history and worked as a columnist and
arts journalist in London for taz, FAZ and AD Magazine. She has written and co-edited
several books and in 2020 was (together with Yvette Mutumba) the winner of the prize
«European Cultural Manager of the Year». At the moment she is curating the solo show
«John Akomfrah. A Space of Empathy» at Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt.
Estelle Nabeyrat is a curator and art critic. She lives and works in France and Spain.
Her texts are regularly published in various magazines (Camera Austria, Le Quotidien de
l’art, Texte zur Kunst, Contemporânea) and catalogues. As a curator, she has organised
several exhibitions at Centre d’art Le Lait (Albi), Municipal Galleries of Lisbon, Quadrado
Azul Gallery (Lisbon), Neuer Aachner Kunstverein (Aachen), the Republic Museum (Rio de
Janeiro) among other venues. Together with Pedro De Lano, she recently completed a
research followed by an online curatorial selection entitled «Hors-sol, formes en exil»,
focusing on Latino & Caribbean artists from the Cnap collection. With Eva Barto, she is a co-
founder of the radio show «ForTune» (Duuu* Radio), dealing with art workers’ working
conditions. She is currently tutoring at the design department of the Ecole Nationale
Supérieure Paris-Saclay.
