Morten Viskum: Works 1993 2026

The new updated monograph devoted to Morten Viskum, one of the most controversial contemporary artists in the Nordic countries. This new monograph on Morten Viskum (Helsingør, 1965) presents the artist's complete body of work, from his early beginnings to the present day. Through a series of controversial projects, Morten Viskum has frequently been at the center of public debates in Norway, polarizing the attention of a broad segment of public opinion. By employing unconventional tools—including medical equipment, dead animals, and cancer cells—Viskum has been featured in numerous national and international exhibitions with his installations, performances, photography, and paintings. Particularly well known are the paintings created during his famous performances in which he used the hands of deceased individuals as brushes. Through his art, Viskum challenged both the relationship between science and ethics. Viskum gained international recognition in 1995 with his "Rat/olive project". Over the course of two days, he replaced the contents of 20 olives jars with newborn laboratory mice in 20 grocery stores in the five largest cities in Norway. The dispute that followed established him as one of the most controversial contemporary artists in the Nordic countries.