Nordic Bridges is a cultural initiative by the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Toronto Harbourfront Centre that has widely increased the presence of Nordic art and culture across Canada in 2022. The project is now entering its final months, but the program for the fall and winter is nevertheless packed with a variety of performances, art, and events. Below, we provide you an overview of the happenings featuring Norwegian artists.
To see the full program and to read more about Nordic Bridges, please visit their website here.
MUSIC
FIKA(S) Festival
October 17 – 23. Various locations, Montreal QC
FIKA(S) is a seven-day Montréal festival celebrating Nordic and Scandinavian cultures in various forms. The Festival Immersif de Kultur et d’Art Scandinave/Nordique has had three editions since 2015 and the last one succeeded in bringing together over 35,000 people.
This year, Norway is represented by four talented women: singer and keyboardist Marte Eberson, indie-rock arist Tuvaband, artist and composer Marthe Halvorsen and speaker for shesaid.so Cathrine Heen.
To read more about the festival’s artists, the program and to buy tickets, see FIKA(S) official website.
Tuvaband + Marthe Halvorsen
October 20. National Arts Centre, Ottawa ON
Days before Tuvaband and Marthe Halvorsen takes to Montreal for their respective concerts within FIKA(S) they come together for a joint performance at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.
Find more information and buy tickets here.
FILM AND THEATRE
Nordic Noirs
November 6 – 23. Toronto International Film Festival, Toronto ON
Nordic Noirs is a series of movies within the Nordic crime-fiction phenomenon presented by the Toronto International Film Festival. The variety of films that will be screened reflects the region-wide cinematic roots of this genre dating back to the 1940s.
The publications of novels by authors like Jo Nesbø in the 1990s marked a breakthrough in the popularity of Nordic Noir. In Morten Tyldumm’s movie-adaptation of Nesbø’s Headhunters, problematics related to the sudden acquisition of wealth amid Norway’s discovery of oil is a primary theme.
Read more about TIFF’s Nordic Noir series and the selected movies here.
Moby Dick, Puppet-theatre
Selected dates November 7. – December 16., Québec QC, Montréal QC, Toronto ON
Moby Dick - trailer "The Prophecy" - Plexus Polaire - création 2020 - YouTube
Plexus Polaire is a French-Norwegian theater company using life-sized puppets to tell and recreate engaging stories. The actor’s performance behind the puppet as well as the use of music, video and light are vital elements in their shows.
Yngvild Aspeli is the company’s artistic director. She has, so-far, directed six shows and is currently working on an adaptation of A Doll’s House that will premiere in Autumn 2023. Before this, Plexus Polaire will go on a cross-Atlantic tour and bring their version of Moby Dick to Canada. 
Click this link for more information about Plexus Polaire and the show.
ART EXHIBITIONS
Arctic Highways
On now until November 12. Yukon Arts Centre, Whitehorse YT
This exhibition, hosted by the Yukon Arts Centre, takes audiences on a journey along the Arctic Highway of culture and life that stretches from the past into the future – without ever passing a border. Arctic Highways tells the stories of twelve indigenous artists from across the Arctic region, highlighting the unbounded flow of indigenous values and experiences across national borders.
Norwegian and Sámi artists featured in this exhibition include Gunvor Guttorm, Dan Jåma and Máret Ánne Sara.
Click here to read more and to see the full list of Nordic artists.
Animal, Vegetable, Mineral
On now until November 20. Harbourfront Centre, Toronto ON
This contemporary jewelry exhibition takes place at Nordic Bridges’ “main hub”, the Toronto Harbourfront Centre. Jewelry, compared to other crafts practices, differentiates itself because it is not one material - it can be animal, vegetable, or mineral. The artists featured in this exhibition, including Kautokeino-raised Máret Ánne Sara, challenges traditional ideas about what constitutes “fine jewelry”.
Read more about the exhibition here.
Arctic/Amazon: Networks of Global Indigeneity
On now until December 31. The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, Toronto ON
Arctic/Amazon: Networks of Global Indigeneity explores the ways in which Indigenous contemporary artists and collaborators take on issues of climate change, globalized Indigeneity, and contact zones in and about the Arctic and the Amazon during a time of crisis.
Artworks of Máret Ánne Sara are also featured in this constellation, here surrounded by indigenous art both from the Amazon and the Arctic.
Read more about the exhibition and the Nordic participants here.
Eyes as Big as Plates
On now until January 8. Harbourfront Centre, Toronto ON
Eyes as Big as Plates is an ongoing photography series by the Finnish-Norwegian duo Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjort. Through unique portraits, the series explore the belonging of modern human beings in nature and our relationship with our surroundings.
The exhibition is a selection of recent photographs by the duo presented in a non-traditional gallery space: the 245 Queens Quay West warehouse. The second component is three large-scale billboards at Harbourfront Centre’s 235 Queens Quay West parking pavilion that will be the product of their fieldwork in Nova Scotia in mid-September 2022. Below are a few behind-the-scenes photos captured on this trip.
Read more about Eyes as Big as Plates and their Harbourfront exhibition here.
CELEBRATION OF NORDIC BRIDGES
Festival of Cool
December 8-18. Harbourfront Centre, Toronto ON
The Festival of Cool is the official celebration of a full year of Nordic Bridges programming. There will be ten days of cultural performances and events ranging from art, music, theatre, film, and even an onsite sauna.
More information about this festival is coming soon on Nordic Bridges’ website.