Anawana Haloba is interested in oral storytelling traditions from Southern Africa, and in several of her works, she explores the voice, language, and musical heritage. The Zambian-Norwegian artist creates multimedia installations that speak to all senses, including hearing and taste. In addition, she challenges the audience to think. In many of her works, Haloba addresses contemporary discussions about Africa's colonial history. The exhibition presents a diverse selection of works from her artistic career. In addition, Haloba has created a completely new work – an opera, which builds on folk opera traditions from Zambia. On four large screens, Zambian budima performers are seen side by side with singers based in Oslo. The sculptures, which sing the artist's own libretto, are made from traditional instruments and objects used in both ceremonial rituals and cooking. Haloba's work challenges our perception of what opera is, and provides a new perspective that differs from the opera tradition we know from Italy.

Anawana Haloba (b. 1978) is a central contemporary artist with high relevance who is in an important phase of her international career. She has participated in a number of international group exhibitions and biennials. In 2025, she will be shown at the Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art, and she is nominated for the Artes Mundi Prize and the Lorck Schive Art Prize. Haloba works with many different media, including sculpture, video, performance, poetry, and sound. The Light Hall at the National Museum is a venue where the experimental nature of Haloba's spatial installations can be highlighted.