18 November 2024
Some traditions grow stronger with each passing year, and few illustrate this better than the beloved "Open House Exhibition" at the Norwegian publishing house Grini Mølle in Oslo. On 9 and 10 November 2024, the doors of Grini Mølle once again opened to the public for this cherished annual event — and this year's edition proved to be the most successful yet.
A Tradition Rooted in the Same November Weekend
Part of what makes the Open House Exhibition so special is its wonderful consistency: the event always takes place on the same November weekend each year, giving art lovers throughout Oslo and beyond something reliable to anticipate and look forward to as autumn settles in. Over time, this consistency has allowed the exhibition to grow into a genuine and beautiful tradition — one that visitors return to year after year, often bringing friends and family along to share in the experience.
There is something quietly powerful about an event that earns this kind of loyal, recurring following. It speaks to the deep and lasting impression the exhibition leaves on those who attend, and to the trust that has been built between the Norwegian publishing house and its community of supporters over the years.
A Truly International Collection
This year's exhibition once again lived up to its reputation for artistic breadth and quality, presenting an impressive 67 original works gathered from artists all over the world. The scale and international character of this collection meant that visitors walking through Grini Mølle over the course of the weekend were treated to an extraordinary range of styles, subjects, and techniques — a genuinely global showcase of talent from within the mouth and foot painting community, brought together under one roof for a single, unforgettable weekend.
For many visitors, the sheer diversity of the collection was likely one of the exhibition's most striking features: proof that the artistry and dedication represented by mouth and foot painting artists know no geographic or cultural boundary, and that talent of this calibre can be found in every corner of the globe.
A Record-Breaking Turnout
Perhaps the most remarkable news to come out of this year's Open House Exhibition was its attendance. This year, all records were broken in terms of visitor numbers — a resounding endorsement of both the exhibition's growing reputation and the enduring public appetite for experiencing this kind of art in person. For an event that has, over the years, become a genuine November tradition in Oslo, breaking previous attendance records represents a wonderful milestone, one that speaks to the continued and growing appreciation for the artistry on display.
This surge in visitors also meant that more people than ever before had the opportunity to engage directly with the exhibition's remarkable collection — and, even more memorably, with two of the artists themselves.
Meeting the Artists Behind the Art
Adding a deeply personal dimension to this year's exhibition was the presence of two accomplished artists, both offering visitors a rare and valuable opportunity for direct engagement.
Board member Tom Yendell, a mouth and foot painter whose reputation within the international community is well established, showed interested visitors how he paints — offering a live, firsthand demonstration of the technique, focus, and skill involved in his craft. For visitors unfamiliar with mouth and foot painting, watching Yendell at work likely offered a genuinely eye-opening experience, transforming abstract appreciation for the finished paintings on display into a much deeper understanding of the process behind them.
Joining Tom Yendell at this year's exhibition was scholarship holder Aase Helene Sveen, a mouth painter whose presence added further depth and personal connection to the weekend's proceedings. Having both an established board member and a scholarship holder on hand gave visitors the chance to encounter the mouth and foot painting community across different stages of artistic development — from an internationally recognised figure to an artist still building her career and body of work.
A Weekend Worth Celebrating
Taken together, the record attendance, the impressive international collection of 67 original works, and the invaluable presence of artists like Tom Yendell and Aase Helene Sveen made this year's Open House Exhibition a truly memorable chapter in the tradition's history. For the countless visitors who passed through Grini Mølle's doors over the course of the weekend, the exhibition offered far more than an afternoon of art appreciation — it offered a genuine window into the global community of mouth and foot painting artists, and a direct, personal encounter with the talent and dedication that define their work.
As Grini Mølle's Open House Exhibition tradition continues to grow year after year, this record-breaking 2024 edition sets an exciting benchmark for future editions to build upon — a testament to just how much this beloved November weekend has come to mean to the people of Oslo and to art lovers well beyond.
Source: VDMFK News