Under Review is a time-based, performance protest that functions as an artistic intervention against the increasingly severe immigration regulations imposed on non-European Union (EU) citizens in Norway and across Europe.
The performance, taking place in September 2025 at Bergen Pavilion, took the form of a symbolic mass wedding between EU and non-EU citizens. Each participant stood before a machine that processed and reviewed their marriage application, determining whether they met all the criteria for a legal union through a series of interrogating questions, financial trials, and a lengthy waiting period.
The performance—and the machine at its center—mirrored the exact conditions a non-EU individual must navigate if they choose to marry an EU citizen. On top of the existing rules, participants were also subject to financial criteria, a regulation that has recently been enacted, making it increasingly difficult for non-EU citizens to obtain or retain residency documentation. New regulations require Norwegian citizens marrying non-EU individuals to earn a minimum of NOK 416512 per year for their marriage to be legally recognized.
The project was created in collaboration with Bergen Kommune, and the City Council and stands at the intersection of activism, demonstration, and performance art, aiming to draw attention to the ambiguity, prejudice, and absurdity inherent in the immigration policies crafted by governmental bodies in relation to real and human bodies navigating them. At the end of their interaction with the machine, performers are handed a receipt stating their case and the expected review time. The project invites the public to participate and engage in dialogue on the subject
For a limited time, the Bergen Pavilion, a cultural monument of the city, was occupied by a group of immigrant and local artists to raise their voices to the public. In this way, the Pavilion became a hub for exchanging information and raising awareness about rules that are often passed with minimal transparency. While eating wedding cake, performers and the public could discuss and share their experiences with the immigration office and debate the efficiency and underlying agendas of migration policy.
Under Review took place on September 26 and was created by Pouria Kazemi and Mila Elisabeth Lavroll.
Photography by Filip Glezgo.
All tech by Rui Liu.
Photography by Filip Glezgo.
All tech by Rui Liu.
