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18.
October
2018.
Prisoner Of War, paintings and poems: An exhibition by Norwegian artist Bodil Friele at the Norwegian Church in Cardiff
On the 29th of July 1943 a young man from Bergen, Norway was sat in a Halifax bomber over German territory near Hamburg when German anti-aircraft missiles shot down the plane.Somehow, he survived the crash and after five days on the run he was captured and spent the rest of the war in a German prison camp.

That man was artist Bodil Friele's father - one of many Norwegians who served in the RAF during World War Two having fled their homeland to join the allied forces.

An exhibition of Friele's work, "Prisoner of War, paintings and poems" runs at the Norwegian Church, Cardiff from October 26th- November 12th.  The exhibition, which will be officially opened by The Rt. Hon. Lord Mayor of Cardiff, Cllr Diane Rees is one of many events being held to mark the RAF's 100thAnniversary.

Lord Mayor, Cllr Dianne Rees said:  "As the RAF reaches this significant anniversary it's an honour to open this exhibition of fascinating work.  Not only does the exhibition highlight the close links between the RAF and the many Norwegian crews who fought for our country during World War Two, it also bring us closer to an experience of war that is vital to reflect upon, precisely because it is so far removed from most people in this country's everyday existence."

Exhibition Curator, Bjorn Inge Follevaag, said:  "For most of us imprisonment is impossible to understand. Losing our freedom and being forced to live our lives on someone else's terms is practically unimaginable. But this experience is exactly what lies behind the exhibition."

The exhibition draws on the artist's experience of growing up with a father who she only later, through his diaries and notes, realised was suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).  By reworking these experiences into texts, images and sculptural forms Friele addresses her father's history and attempts to show how we can all relate to this one person's experience of war.

Exhibition Curator, Bjorn Inge Follevaag, added:  "We would like to thank the Norwegian Seamen's Church and the cultural centre, the Norwegian Welsh Friendship Assn, the RAF, their current staff as well as all the veterans who are still alive after the war, and everybody else who has helped us make this event happen."

https://www.norwegianchurchcardiff.com/