Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado did not make it to the Peace Prize Ceremony, but tonight she and her family was present at the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo to open the exhibition about herself.

“The exhibition captures the essence of our struggle”, a visibly moved Maria Corina Machado said as she conducted the official opening of the Nobel Peace Prize Exhibition 2025. The exhibition features Machado and the opposition’s work for democracy in Venezuela and shows how their fight for democracy has become a symbol of a broader global challenge: Across the world democracy is in retreat and authoritarian power is on the rise.

“Having lost our freedom, seen our families separated and lost the right to live in our country, makes us value the assets of democracy even more. When you lose what you love you find the courage to fight for it, she said.

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate had a private tour in the exhibition with the Director of the Nobel Peace Center, Kjersti Fløgstad, and saw photographs of herself taken during the election campaign in 2024 displayed together with the tally sheets the opposition smuggled out from the polling stations to gather proof of their victory.

“Maria Corina Machado has worked tirelessly to restore democracy in Venezuela. She stands among the courageous defenders of freedom, in the line along with other laureates like Andrej Sakharov, Lech Walesa and Narges Mohammadi – refusing to be silenced and fighting every single day for her own liberty and that of her country”. the director of the Nobel Peace Center, Kjersti Fløgstad, said at the opening.

A lost generation

Magnum photographer Emin Özmen, whose photographs are shown in the exhibition, was also present at the opening. This November, he travelled to Colombia to meet young, exiled Venezuelans, and through photos and video interviews he portrays a lost generation.

“These young people don’t see a future for themselves in Venezuela. They have given up hope for their country, but they haven’t given up hope for themselves. That is why they leave”, Özmen says.

More than 8 million people, or a quarter of the population, have fled Venezuela since 2014. Those who remain live in poverty and fear, while they miss their exiled family members. A photo series Özmen made in Venezuela in 2019 shows images of protesters and political upheaval, but also the poverty and despair that lies behind the tensions.

The Nobel Peace Prize exhibition opens to the public on Friday 12 December and will show until September 2026.