The Nobel Peace Center gets a new heart – You can contribute!

"The exhibition will be created through an open and curatorially exploratory process, where people, ideas, and objects meet," says Henrik Treimo, the exhibition director at the Nobel Peace Center.

The exhibition itself will open in the fall of 2026, but the conversation with the public is already well underway. In January, 20 Oslo residents participated in a two-day workshop about the laureates and the senses. Participants approached the topic in different ways, forming groups that explored and created stories based on portraits, colors, materials, and sounds. Participants described the experience as "meaningful," "interesting," "fun," "like participating in peacework," and "therapy".

Another point of feedback from participants is that the new exhibition should have a critical approach to the Nobel Peace Prize and the laureates throughout history.

"There have been questions about debates on different laureates, and there is an expectation of a critical approach," says Serge Von Arx, artistic director of the exhibition.

In January, the public and passersby were also invited to talk to the people behind the exhibition in the Pop-Up Studio, a creative meetingplace for discussions about peace, hope, and the laureates. Visitors were also able to provide input on what they would like to see in the new exhibition. More such meetingplaces will be created throughout the year.

In April, the largest exhibition room at the Nobel Peace Center will be transformed into an exploratory laboratory. The main purpose of the laboratory is to test spatial elements, bodily/haptic approaches, and ideas for digital solutions with visitors at the center, drop-in guests, and invited participants. What resonates? What challenges assumptions? What needs further exploration?

"We do not see ourselves as the experts who will educate society. Peace is difficult to define, but all the more important to discuss. By involving people in the process, we give them an active role in shaping the exhibition. At the same time, we have already started communicating about the topic," says Treimo.

"The laboratory is something between a construction site and a playground," says Von Arx.

Relevance and political awareness are two important aspects of working with the public.

"The Peace Center has a strong ambition that the exhibition should be a relevant contribution to society and the debate about peace and hope," says Serge Von Arx, and continues: "It is created in dialogue with the public because we should not create it from our own standpoint."

Treimo and Von Arx hope that those who participate in the process will be curious to follow how the project develops.

"We have two calls to action: Contribute and come back to follow how the exhibition takes shape. We want to spark curiosity," says Von Arx.

"How can this be an element we can use? How can we evoke that feeling in this exhibition?" says Treimo.

To showcase the effort to create a relevant and inclusive exhibition, the Nobel Peace Center highlights unique aspects of the creative process. The Nobel Peace Center sees it as its responsibility to be a pioneer in exhibition design research. By actively participating in the research debate on exhibition methods, the aim is to contribute valuable insights and experiences. This focuses not only on the aesthetic and curatorial but also on including different perspectives and voices in the exhibition space. The approach is based on collaboration, innovation, and a deep understanding of the audience's needs and expectations.

Through the work, the Nobel Peace Center hopes to inspire new ways to combine research and art, thereby contributing to a broader discussion about knowledge production and dissemination.

You are invited!

April 24-30: Laboratory inside the Nobel Peace Center (more info to come)