Office of Contemporary Art Norway Appoints Ruben Steinum as New Director

The Board of OCA is proud to announce the appointment of Ruben Steinum as new director. Steinum will lead the institution for the next four years. After an extensive selection process, the Board unanimously recognized Steinum as the right candidate to continue the work of OCA in Norway and abroad. Steinum is currently elected president of The Association of Norwegian Visual Artists (Norske Billedkunstnere) and is well-known to the Norwegian art scene as a visionary and candid voice of the artists, foregrounding the role of contemporary art in society. From his extensive engagement in the visual art’s field, he has proved to be devoted to developing organizations.

Chair of the Board Trude Gomnæs Ugelstad, said “Ruben Steinum has proven to be a prominent and engaged leader on behalf of the Norwegian visual arts field. His commitment and ambitions are of utmost importance in the continuation of OCAs core objective to promote Norwegian art abroad. He will be leading the work to ensure a strategy and the implementation of it for the next period and build a competent team accordingly”.

Ruben Steinum will enter the position on the 1st of August 2022.

“I’m excited to participate in developing OCA and contribute to actualizing, promoting, and strengthening the international participation of artists from all of Norway. The Norwegian art scene has a high standard, and I see great potential for more artists to participate internationally.”

Steinum continues: “OCA is well-recognized which is a great foundation to continue contributing to realize ambitious initiatives which will enable more international collaboration and opportunities for the individual artist and for the Norwegian art field as an ecosystem.

He is grateful for the trust the board has granted him and is excited to begin working with the team at OCA.

The Board of OCA would also like to thank Katya García-Antón for the ambitious program she has carried out as director of OCA, and we are excited for the realization of 'The Sámi Pavilion' during the 59th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia in 2022. 

The Board of OCA consists of Trude Gomnæs Ugelstad (Chair of the Board), Kristoffer Dolmen, Hans Marius Graasvold, Stina Högkvist and Sille Storihle.

About OCA

Office for Contemporary Art Norway (OCA) is a non-profit foundation established by the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2001. The main goal is to support artists in Norway, including Sápmi, participation on the international art scene. Through increased collaboration and networking, OCA initiates and facilitates for participation of artists and curators on various platforms around the world. OCA administers international studio programs as well as the funding scheme from the Norwegian Foreign Ministry. Since 2001, OCA has been responsible for Norway's contribution to the visual arts section at La Biennale di Venezia.