I post one chapter from the Manifesto 2.0 every third Sunday of the month. I promise a free physical copy to those who give constructive feedback on minimum 8 chapters. There are 16 chapters to be posted where this is the first. I do not write a manifesto for…
“To live is to explore, the purpose of existence is to explore. To explore is to enter the unknown. The domain of the artist is to explore. The role of the artist is to encourage and inspire others to explore, without dictating what one should explore. Hence the artist is…
I believe we live in a destructive and regressive society and within my work; I try to imagine how it could be better. I see it as one’s civic duty to be a voice for change regardless of the improbability that one will be able to move the mountain. When…
I subscribe to Hume and Thomas S Kuhn’s ideas of knowledge. My understanding of Hume is that knowledge is accumulated by previous experiences, we know that the sun will rise tomorrow because it has done so in the past, but that is not to say that it will rise. We…
“To me, art is about human exploration, which is the most important endeavor we can take as a species. For that, I’m willing to sacrifice my health and happiness.” Statement by Bjørn Venø
Is the meaning of life to serve one God or many Gods, do we live to serve a system or do we live for our own pleasure? I do not pretend to know the answer, neither do I maintain that there is an answer, also I have no interest in…
One can live passively or actively. When one is passive you do not have an input in your experience, one expects happiness to be provided. In contrast with active living, you take control, it is up to you to chose how to feel and think. I believe our society is…
We want and we need, but they are not the same. I will argue that if one only follows what one wants you will regress as a person, this is not to say that one should never indulge, on the contrary, the word to underline is only. Want is connected…
“Capitalism and Art is a contradiction Capitalism dulls and enslaves humanity Art inspires and liberates humanity Work that is designed for capitalism is not Art, it is a product” Statement by Bjørn Venø
What is happiness? Is it getting what you want, achieving your goal and living passively? I suspect not, in all cases I think they are substitutes of the real deal, an easy fix like a drug. Take advertisement which plays on the idea that if you buy the product you…
We cannot escape value, because valuing objects and ideas is to prioritize what we believe to be important. People are different and what they prioritize can be varied, but I think it goes without saying that humans first priority is our survival, the second can be categorized as what makes…
One could say that before the hero can become the hero they must first be a fool, at least that is the narrative structure of storytelling. In Norwegian folklore, one has Askeladen who is the but of the joke for his older brothers, but who in the end rises to…
When I talk about the fool I do not mean any sort of fool, I’m talking about the fool who is the umbrella term for the trickster, the shaman, the holy fool and the jester, I describe them all as the Licensed Fool. In essence, the Licensed Fool is someone…
Do I think everyone should become licensed fools? No, I see it like this, there are professional dancers, but most can find enjoyment from dancing no matter their skill level. Just replace dancer with Licensed Fool. Now imagine a world where nobody dances and there are no venues for people…
“I make art for you, not for you to agree with me or I with you, but for us to think together.” Statement by Bjørn Venø
