Barents Spektakel Returns In-Person with 'Where Do We Go from Here?'

The 18th edition of the Barents Spektakel festival will take place in Kirkenes, Norway, during the last week of February 2022. After a virtual edition in 2021 due to COVID-19, the festival returns in person under the theme 'Where do we go from here?', inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.'s reflections on equity and social justice. The festival explores movement, social mobility, community, and the revival of collective meeting spaces in a post-pandemic context. Kirkenes, located 15 km from the Russian border and 50 km from Finland, is a cultural hub for the Barents region, home to over 70 ethnic groups including Russians, Norwegians, and the Sámi indigenous minority. The festival is organized by the curatorial association Pikene På Broen (founded 1996), which runs the Terminal B art hub and initiatives like the BAR International residency and Transborder Café. Past editions featured works by Stefano Cagol (light projections highlighting border control), Morten Traavik (border demarcation pillars), the collective Chto Delat (a border musical), and Dmitry Novitsky & Glafira Severianova (survival instructions drawings). The 2022 program includes fireworks, concerts, and sports events in Kirkenes and satellite cities such as Murmansk, Petrozavodsk, Nikel, and Saint Petersburg.