Oliver Beer Featured in "How Do We Find Love? The Last Human Kiss" at Sainsbury Centre
Artist Oliver Beer is among the prominent figures featured in a major new museum group exhibition exploring the enduring symbolism of human connection. Titled How Do We Find Love? The Last Human Kiss, the exhibition is hosted at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts in Norwich, UK, running from 14 November 2026 through 11 April 2027.
Exploring the Symbolism of Human Connection in Norwich
The exhibition delves into how the act of kissing has shaped cultural concepts of intimacy, devotion, betrayal, and belonging across millennia. Although fleeting, the kiss serves as a powerful expressive medium through which societies conceptualize emotional bonds and negotiate power dynamics.
Curated by John Kenneth Paranada—formerly Curator of Art and Climate Change at the institution—the showcase investigates how creators throughout history have reexamined the kiss to reflect on the human condition. The presentation spans various artistic disciplines, including painting, sculpture, photography, and film.
Structure of the Exhibition
Visitors exploring the galleries will encounter works organized into five distinct thematic chapters:
- The First Kiss: Examines the delicate boundary where strangers transition into companions and attraction evolves into attachment.
- The Divine Kiss: Highlights Renaissance perspectives on love's capacity to disrupt and transform.
- The Social Kiss: Investigates intimacy as a mirror for collective and political dynamics.
- The Romantic Kiss: Focuses on the euphoric intensity of desire.
- The Trickster Kiss: Concludes in the contemporary sphere, looking at mediated, post-human, and digital forms of kissing that feel simultaneously omnipresent and distant.
For those tracking international projects by artists represented by Thaddaeus Ropac Salzburg Halle, the exhibition offers a deep dive into contemporary interpretations of interpersonal relationships. Discover more cultural highlights and upcoming exhibitions by checking out the Salzburg museum list or viewing the interactive city map on Musemap (musemap.art).
