Ingeborg Høvik

Ingeborg Høvik is an Associate Professor of Art History in the Department of Language and Culture at UiT The Arctic University of Norway, affiliated with the Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Teacher Education. She is a member of the Center for Arctic Humanities and leads the 'Arctic Voices' research group, focusing on decolonial and interdisciplinary approaches to Arctic visual and literary culture.

Her research centers on European and North American art and visual culture of the long 19th century, particularly as it intersects with Arctic representation, photography, and colonial encounters. She employs postcolonial, ecofeminist, and Indigenous methodologies to analyze how Indigenous Arctic peoples—especially Greenlanders—are represented in historical imagery and literature. Her work critically examines ethnographic portraiture, exploration narratives, and the visual construction of race and gender.

Høvik’s recent publications reflect a strong thematic focus on agency, voice recovery, and counter-narratives in Arctic visual culture. Her articles explore topics such as John Ross’s phrenological portraits, Roald Amundsen’s expedition imagery, and the photographs of John Møller, analyzing them through frameworks of contact zones and decolonial theory. She has contributed to major journals and edited volumes, and co-edited special issues and exhibition catalogues, including the Visualizing Arctic Voices series.

• Associate Professor, UiT The Arctic University of Norway
• Member, Center for Arctic Humanities
• Researcher, Arctic Voices project
• Focus: Decolonial art history, Indigenous representation, 19th-century visual culture

Høvik has been involved in organizing workshops, conferences, and exhibitions that bring together scholars, artists, and Indigenous communities to re-examine colonial archives and visualize alternative narratives. She collaborates extensively with colleagues such as Sigfrid Kjeldaas, Axel Jeremiassen, and Per Asle Sara. While no formal students or awards are listed, her collaborative projects suggest active mentorship and academic leadership. She receives institutional support for her research and contributes to public scholarship through exhibitions and digital publications.