LASSET MÅ DRAS - Kira Shatylo, Diana Ahmedi, Anna Daniell: Galleri Brandstrup x GalleryLab
The concept of mentorship is traditionally understood as an asymmetrical relationship based on the transfer of experience. In this project, Daniell has deliberately challenged this structure through situations in which the hierarchy is temporarily suspended.
THE LOAD MUST BE PULLED
Galleri Brandstrup and GalleryLab proudly present, in collaboration, the exhibition THE LOAD MUST BE PULLED. In this project, the artist Anna Daniell takes on the role of mentor, with two local artists participating as protégés: Diana Ahmedi and Kira Shatylo.
The artists first met in autumn 2025 and have since developed the exhibition through dialogue and practical collaboration. As part of this process, Daniell has produced two abstract sculptures named after Kira and Diana. The works are based on their initial encounters, and Daniell describes them as sculptural first impressions of the two younger artists.
The concept of mentorship is traditionally understood as an asymmetrical relationship based on the transfer of experience. In this project, Daniell has deliberately challenged this structure through situations in which the hierarchy is temporarily suspended. For instance, the artists participated together in a printmaking course at the historic graphic workshop in Edvard Munch’s studio in Oslo—a technique none of them had previously worked with. The shared exploration of new materials and techniques, ranging from printmaking to fresco- and secco-based mural works and textiles, has become an integral part of the project’s form. One of the collaborative works, TOILET NATIONAL, is created from marble remnants used in the restroom of the new National Museum.
The exhibition also includes an old hay wagon, serving as a reference to labor, movement, and distribution of burdens. This work is a clear metaphor for the core of the project: the question of what is carried individually, what is carried collectively, and who pulls the load in the meeting between artists, institutions, and various art publics.
As a tribute to artists in Groruddalen, Daniell has invited Aksel Stangstad (b. 1956) to participate with his mosaic work “Slørhaler.” The piece is included in the exhibition as a marker for site-specific artistic practice.
Stangstad has lived in Romsås for many years and worked as an occupational therapist alongside his artistic practice in glass and stone mosaic.
Kira Shatylo (b. 1988) arrived in Norway from Ukraine in March 2022, and this is her first exhibition in the country. She presents a ceramic mask in which the face is deconstructed and reassembled, displayed alongside abstract sculptures. She holds a bachelor’s degree in culture and art from the Mykhailo Boichuk Kyiv State Academy of Decorative Applied Arts and Design in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Diana Ahmedi (b. 2006) presents a large-format painting reflecting on the relationship between identity, media streams, and consumer culture. The figure in the painting appears saturated by the society’s visual economy; the boundaries between personal experiences and internalized images gradually become blurred. Ahmedi has previously exhibited her work at GalleryLab as part of the Østutstillingen.
Anna Daniell (b. 1978) works with sculpture and site-specific projects. She was educated at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts, Fontys Academy in Tilburg, and the European Film College in Ebeltoft. She has completed several public commissions, including Oslo City Hall (2021), and her works have been acquired by the Henie Onstad Art Center, the Grieg Collection, and the Oslo municipal art collection. Daniell has exhibited at institutions such as Henie Onstad Art Center, Kunsthall Trondheim, Stavanger Art Museum, and Kunstnernes Hus, and has participated in several international projects and residencies.
