Sofia M. Ciel

Sofia M. Ciel is a philosopher and an independent researcher, curator, and art critic. She holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy and works across the fields of visual culture, feminist art history, contemporary French thought, Norwegian contemporary art, and environmental humanities. She has published her articles in various art magazines (Kunstkritikk, Billedkunst, Hyperallergic, etc.). Ciel is a member of AICA Norway, IKT and The Norwegian Critics’ Association (Norsk kritikerlag). She lives in Oslo, Norway. More: sofiaciel.com.

All articles by Sofia M. Ciel

Whose Freedom?

Whose Freedom?

WEXFO World Expression Forum 2023 was a reminder that being a host is a powerful and privileged position.

The Right to Anger

The Right to Anger

The Niki de Saint Phalle retrospective at Henie Onstad Kunstsenter gives an overview of her extremely varied practice. But what is the message?

I Am Not Your Cleaner

I Am Not Your Cleaner

Protest and politics as seen through the work of generations of women artists in Poland.

Who Will Remember?

Who Will Remember?

At Kristiansand Kunsthall, Apichaya Wanthiang captures the anxieties and fears of a pandemic-stricken world.

Time Is a Rhythm

Time Is a Rhythm

Listening to the Echoes of the South Atlantic at Oslo Kunstforening invites us to see music as a vessel for bringing the past into the present.

Decolonising Art Criticism

Decolonising Art Criticism

So far, the discussion on decolonisation in the art world has been centred on institutions. What if we instead turned our attention to the conditions for critical debate?

Creative Endgame

Creative Endgame

Silje Linge Haaland’s exhibition at Galleri K in Oslo tracks the increasing artificiality of life in our postdigital, pre-apocalyptic present.

Affecting the Body

Affecting the Body

‘If you don’t have or don’t control material, you have to become material yourself’, says Arthur Jafa, currently showing at Kunstnernes Hus in Oslo.

Seeing Double

Seeing Double

Lindsay Seer’s colour-restrained and inverted photographs attempt to rescue the image from manipulative discourses.

Recently published

Setting the Tone

Setting the Tone

There’s nothing worse than a limp handshake. But not when it comes to curation, says Jacob Fabricius, who has just released a book on the subject.

16 December

16 December

In 2024, artist Jaakko Pallasvuo favoured cool nonchalance over political overdetermination.

15 December

15 December

The absurdity of Norwegian cabin culture was among the epiphanies that art gave Constance Tenvik in 2024.

14 December

14 December

‘A woodpecker’s attempt to peck through an opaque art world of gimmicks and false talismans’. What did artist and poet Zahna Siham Benamor single out for praise in 2024?