Author: helenahildur

Artistic Research Processes at Konstnärshuset (Stockholm) II

art, recent work

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Exhibition Konstnärliga Forskningsprocesser at Konstnärshuset;
all photos by Gert Germeraad

Today is the last day for the exhibition Konstnärliga Forskningsprocesser at Konstnärshuset, Smålandsgatan 7 (Stockholm). Opening hours 12 – 18!

These photos are credit to Gert Germeraad, whose own project combines abstract drawing with sculptural representations of  French children lost in the Holocaust.
Ana Maria Almada touches on experiences of carnival and captivity, expressed in ritual performance.
Photographer Angelica Harms pictures the majority population’s view on Roma men and women begging in the streets of Stockholm.
Arne Widman and Magnus Carlén are the co-creators of The Symmetry of Being, an installation with several parts – among them a collection of chemical substances, photo portraits and a chair with a mounted plastic lung.
Emma Göransson’s artistic contribution comes as a Post Colonial Feminist Sami Kayak with an embroidered statement. Along with her work as an artist, Emma Göransson holds a PhD in archaeology and teaches at Konstfack Arts, Crafts and Design College (Stockholm).

For full text on each project, please click links!
(Gert Germeraad’s paper Rationality, Intuition and Emotion; Exploring an Artistic Process is written in English. For other papers, text is in Swedish.)

Artistic Research Processes at Konstnärshuset (Stockholm) I

art, recent work

Webinbjudan

The booming interest for artistic research is, I think, a shift of focus from result to process. When ‘art’ – in some contexts – has become synonymous with ‘investment’… and in others, primarily an act of provocation… the processual aspect along with reflexivity, and the intention to make a positive contribution, is well communicated within the framework of artistic research.
Would you agree?

Exhibition open today and tomorrow, 12 – 18, at Konstnärshuset (House of Artists), Smålandsgatan 7, Stockholm.

For Swedish speakers, here’s a series of interviews on some of the projects and the idea of establishing an independent platform for artistic research; six short films made by Art Lab Gnesta and nigo produktion:
“Hör mer om ALG/R på Supermarket”

From Supermarket to the House of Artists (Konstnärshuset), Stockholm

art, recent work

Konstnärshuset seminarium b
Seminar with presentation by Ivar Sviestins.
Foreground: sculptures from the series “French Children of the Holocaust” by Gert Germeraad.

Konstnärshuset Arne Widman b
The Symmetry of Being, Arne Widman and Magnus Carlén 2012

Konstnärshuset, Stockholm – a somewhat tattered gem of a building from 1899, housing two artists’ associations – is next stop. Here, the Konstfack course projects are represented in the traditional exhibition format, focusing less on process and more on artistic achievements. A seminar with artist talks and a lecture by artist and PhD Emma Göransson complements the exhibition.

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The Management of a Cervical Spine, Lena Oja 2012 – 2013

Art Lab Gnesta/Research goes Supermarket

art, curating, recent work, time-out

Art Lab Gnesta monter

Supermarket Art Fair in Stockholm is the annual meeting point for artist driven initiatives worldwide since 2006
At Supermarket 2013, Art Lab Gnesta was represented as an independent platform for artistic research; a story which begun with the course Artistic Research Processes at Konstfack College for Arts, Crafts and Design in 2012. When the course was finished, the people involved wanted to go on – so Art Lab Gnesta opened its doors for their experimental, non-authoritarian research quest. Thirteen individual projects were brought to Kulturhuset, Stockholm, during the days of Supermarket 2013. Here’s an interview (in Swedish) explaining the whats, whys and hows of Art Lab Gnesta/Research:

Riksutställningar intervjuar Helena Hildur

Back from Japan

art, beauty, time-out

Get up early. Leaving Tokyo from Narita Airport at midday. First passing over red mountain ridges, meandering rivers and roads, then the deep blue for a while. Clear day.

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Another shore. Marshlands. Patterns much like marbled paper in old books; running water under ice and snow – going this way, that way.
Then the highlands, watershed.

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Floating high above Siberia for hours and hours, hooked between the progressing afternoon in Tokyo and Scandinavian morning. An outstretched present, clock jumps back and forth. North of the polar circle; night at noon.

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Rivers running north. The surface bears witness of forces working from below, exposed to those working from above. Geology, meteorology. Interface like a text which I can only vaguely guess the meaning of. Sometimes – but rarely – tracks of human activities. A broad, straight road. A military base? A single light shining from the shore of the Kara Sea.
Light, temperature, time; basics.

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Hej Tokyo!

art, recent work, time-out

 
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Tokyo urban nature; all photos by HHW.

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Zenpukuji Park, hosting a community art project with (among others) artists Shoko Miki and Motoko Hoshi;
all photos by HHW.

After some days off in Hakone, Cecilia and I return to the group… to set up another exhibition in another city. The Swedish Embassy in Tokyo has opened their reception hall to host our party for a couple of weeks. Although the hall is large, it cannot compete with the Red Brick Warehouse; so, for want of space, only the Swedish artists are invited to participate this time. Oddly enough, this makes the exhibited artworks appear more disparate, and the exhibition as such is (in my view) a weaker statement compared to the Yokohama version.

Still, the hanging is – as always – an intriguing challenge. How does the imaginary space of a painted surface interact with the surrounding reality of all senses?
How can the spatial arrangement of physical objects result in a resonance of light, proportions and rhythm?

Our Japanese colleagues – whom we now think of not only as professionals, but as true friends – are incredibly supportive; most of them spend the whole day working for our benefit. The embassy staff are welcoming and helpful, too, and the positive atmosphere stays as the opening night turns into a hello-and-goodbye party. The ambassador’s speech is followed by a statement from EAJAS’ spokesperson Toshiko Watanabe, a powerful primus motor in the realization of this event.

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Contemporary Art from Sweden at the Swedish Embassy, Tokyo; all photos HHW.

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Good-bye, friends!

Time Off in Hakone Gora II

time-out

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The ryokan where we stay is close to the Hakone Tozan Cable Car which brings tourists like ourselves uphill. At the Sounzan terminus, one switches to ropeway for a yet steeper rise. Sulphuric vapours and steaming swift rivulets pour along the slopes far below, the foliage has turned to red all over the mountainsides and at Owakudani close to the top we change cars. Going down on the other side opens a new view; down, down towards lake Ashi – a sharply blue iris contemplating the view of Mount Fuji.

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At the other side of the lake we hit upon a former imperial highway, planted with cedars all along for shelter. We follow the narrow path, climb another hill – more steep than high – by a flight of stairs and trek through the forest above… Turning around a ridge, we find ourselves facing Mount Fuji once more, now more distant but clear in the crisp afternoon light. After a couple of hours, we reach the country road of our own times, asphalted and with a bus that brings us back to the shores of Ashinoko. And, as the sun sets, Mount Fuji reveals itself for a third and last time this day.

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