An Archaeology of a Profession. A Series of Portraits of Exhibitions and Curators
CuratorLab 2020/2021
The final on-line programme for 26-27 May is here.
Presented by: Anna Mikaela Ekstrand, Giulia Floris, Edy Fung, Julius Lehmann, Marc Navarro, Simina Neagu, Hanna Nordell, Tomek Pawłowski-Jarmołajew, Marja Rautaharju, Erik Sandberg
Curatorial assistant: Vasco Forconi
Program director: Joanna Warsza
Guest lecturer: Maria Lind
During this complicated academic year, marked by the pandemic, CuratorLab has dealt with the archeology of the field of curating and its blind spots. Looking, talking, interviewing, analysing and sharing the legacy of some under-researched practitioners and projects was at the core of the course. The many live encounters, archival visits, and even more Zoom interviews, led to two sibling books, Archeologies of a Profession, co-published by Konstfack Collection and Sternberg Press in collaboration with MIT Press, planned for 2021.
The first publication led by Maria Lind and entitled Archeology of a Profession in Sweden. Curating Beyond the Mainstream is based on meetings and interviews with curators and institutional directors such as Elisabet Haglund (Kulturhuset in Stockholm and Borås Konstmuseum), Gunilla Lundahl (Independent Projects), Jan-Erik Lundström (Fotografiska Museet and Bildmuseet in Umeå) and Carlos Capelán (Artist as Curator), as well as archival research connected to their work.
From the exhibition This is where Blanes Viale dreamt: an exhibition by Pablo Uribe, curated by Carlos Capelán at the National Museum of Visual Arts, Montevideo 2018–19
Photo: Rafael Lejtreger
Performance by Daniel J Martinez is conjunction with the opening of the exhibition “Änglarnas demon” (The Angels’ Demon), at Kulturhuset, Stockholm 1990.
Photo by: Kulturhuset. From the personal archive of Elisabet Haglund.
With “Himla skönt” Gunilla Lundahl proposed a model of coexistence for objects as disparate as a rococo figurine, a classical sculpture, a wooden Madonna and a self-portrait by painter Helene Schjerfbeck.
Photo: Olof Wallgren/Riksutställningar
Inside “ARARAT”: the expansive indoor environment installed in the large hall was intended to depict urban society with its complex circulatory flows in contact with the surrounding nature.
Photo: Moderna Museet
Mona Hatoum, Bukhara (maroon), 2008, carpet. From Bucharest Biennale 3 “Being Here. Mapping the Contemporary”, curated by Jan-Erik Lundström and Johan Sjöström.
Photo courtesy of Bucharest Biennale.
The second one, led by Joanna Warsza under the title Assuming Asymmetries focused on questions like: How to work culturally and ethically with the asymmetries?; how can artworks create meaning from the place where they are produced?; how have the notions of situated or embedded knowledge changed over the years?; what were the early attempts at de-monumentalising art outside of the museum? The focus was on exhibitions and projects like Culture in Action curated by Mary Jane Jacob in Chicago in 1993; Sonsbeek 93 curated by Valerie Smith; Endlichkeit der Freiheit, an exhibition initiated by Heiner Müller and Rebecca Horn on both sides of the Berlin wall and realised after it had fallen down; Construction in Process, an artist-initiated site-specific exhibition in Łódz in the early ‘80s, Five Gardens curated by Carlos Capelán in 1996 in Simrishamn and Ystad, INSITE in San Diego and Tijuana, the Skulptur Projekte Münster, Galerie des Locataires, and U-media curated by VAVD Editions (Peter Andersson and Måns Wrange in collaboration with Lars Ahlström and Hans Anders Molin) in Umeå in 1987.
On the right of the image a sign reads: “Truth is power”
Photo: Marielle Nitoslawska
Artists Museum Construction in Process, Tylna Street, Lodz, Poland
A passer-by looks at one of 100 monuments to Chicago women as part of Suzanne Lacy’s work Full Circle for “Culture in Action” (1993). By honoring women who contributed to the social fabric of the city the project combatted the overrepresentation of men in public space.
Photograph courtesy of Sculpture Center.
Krzysztof Wodiczko “Leninplatz-Projektion” DIE ENDLICHKEIT DER FREIHEIT BERLIN 1990. Krzysztof Wodiczko.
Photo: Werner Zellien, Krzyssztof Wodiczko
Local photographer Åke Hedström’s documentation of the making of the exhibition Five Gardens curated by Carlos Capelán in Simrishamn 1996. Max Liljefors installing his work Växthuset (The Greenhouse) at Kulturhuset Valfisken, with a collaborator.
Photo: Åke Hedström/Malmö Museer
Local photographer Åke Hedström’s documentation of the making of the exhibition Five Gardens curated by Carlos Capelán in Simrishamn 1996. Interior view of the abandoned train wagon where Sissel Tolaas installed her work, Parfym eller från natur till kultur (Perfume or from Nature to Culture).
Photo: Åke Hedström/Malmö Museer
Ida Biard installing Daniel Buren’s proposal for «Poste Restante», Budapest, 1974.
Photo: Courtesy Archives Galerie des Locataires
Jenny Holzer, Survival, 1983-85. The photo shows the sentence “Vissa stenar tål inte att vändas på” (Some stones are better left unturned) as screened on a large LED signboard outside Folkets Hus, in Umeå in 1987, in the context of U-media
Photo: Roger Nilsson
CuratorLab 2020/21 participants
Anna Mikaela Ekstrand is collaborative, at times she is slow to respond but mostly she is prompt. Her CV is extensive. Please find her. PS. Cultbytes
Giulia Floris, Rome, is an art historian and researcher based in Rome. She is currently collaborating with Instituto Villa Adriana and Villa d’Este – VILLÆ in Tivoli as Exhibition Coordinator, with CASTRO Projects in Rome as Grants and Public Programme Manager and with ArtVerona art fair as appointed curator for LAB1, the section dedicated to non-profit experimental realities.
Edy Fung, Hong Kong/Stockholm, is an artist and curator from Hong Kong, currently based between Stockholm and Derry. Her work focuses on the intersection of visual art, sound and technology.
Julius Lehmann, Münster, is an art historian and historian working on public art. From 2017-2020, he worked as research assistant at Skulptur Projekte Archives, Münster.
Marc Navarro, Berlin/Barcelona, is a curator and writer based in Berlin. He is currently curating the exhibition series Gira tot gira (Turn it all turns) at Fundación Joan Miró (Barcelona).
Simina Neagu, Bucharest/London is an arts administrator, curator and writer. Her research-based practice often facilitates critical reflection and collective learning. Based in London, she works at Iniva (Institute of International Visual Arts) on public programmes, exhibitions, publishing projects and residencies.
Hanna Nordell, Uppsala/Stockholm, is a curator, art historian and cultural worker with a special interest in collaborative practices and transdisciplinary research, combining contemporary art, text, and academic research. She works at Tensta Konsthall with exhibitions and programmes inside the institution as well as in the public sphere.
Tomek Pawłowski-Jarmołajew, Białystok/Poznań, is a curator and a cook.
Marja Rautaharju, Helsinki, is a cultural worker and architect based in Helsinki, currently working in the Museum of Finnish Architecture.
Erik Sandberg, Stockholm, is an art historian, curator and editor for the poetry and art focused magazine Tydningen.
An Archaeology of a Profession. A Series of Portraits of Exhibitions and Curators
CuratorLab 2020/2021
Avslutande onlineprogram, den 26-27 maj finns här.
Presenterat av: Anna Mikaela Ekstrand, Giulia Floris, Edy Fung, Julius Lehmann, Marc Navarro, Simina Neagu, Hanna Nordell, Tomek Pawłowski-Jarmołajew, Marja Rautaharju, Erik Sandberg
Curatorassistent: Vasco Forconi
Programansvarig: Joanna Warsza
Gästföreläsare: Maria Lind
Under ett komplicerat akademiskt år, präglat av pandemin, har CuratorLab tagit sig an curatorfältets arkeologi. Kärnan i kursen har varit att studera, analysera och att dela arvet från underrepresenterade utövare och projekt. En serie möten, arkivbesök och en lång rad Zoom-intervjuer har nu lett fram till två syskonböcker, Archeologies of a Profession, som ges ut tillsammans med Konstfack Collection och Sternberg Press i samarbete med MIT Press med planerad utgivning under 2021.
Den första publikationen under ledning av Maria Lind med titeln Archeology of a Profession in Sweden. Curating Beyond the Mainstream bygger på möten och intervjuer med curatorer och institutionschefer som Elisabet Haglund (Kulturhuset i Stockholm och Borås Konstmuseum), Gunilla Lundahl (oberoende projekt), Jan-Erik Lundström (Fotografiska Museet och Bildmuseet i Umeå) och Carlos Capelán (konstnär som curator), liksom som är kopplat till deras arbete.
From the exhibition This is where Blanes Viale dreamt: an exhibition by Pablo Uribe, curated by Carlos Capelán at the National Museum of Visual Arts, Montevideo 2018–19
Photo: Rafael Lejtreger
Performance by Daniel J Martinez is conjunction with the opening of the exhibition “Änglarnas demon” (The Angels’ Demon), at Kulturhuset, Stockholm 1990.
Photo by: Kulturhuset. From the personal archive of Elisabet Haglund.
With “Himla skönt” Gunilla Lundahl proposed a model of coexistence for objects as disparate as a rococo figurine, a classical sculpture, a wooden Madonna and a self-portrait by painter Helene Schjerfbeck.
Photo: Olof Wallgren/Riksutställningar
Inside “ARARAT”: the expansive indoor environment installed in the large hall was intended to depict urban society with its complex circulatory flows in contact with the surrounding nature.
Photo: Moderna Museet
Mona Hatoum, Bukhara (maroon), 2008, carpet. From Bucharest Biennale 3 “Being Here. Mapping the Contemporary”, curated by Jan-Erik Lundström and Johan Sjöström.
Photo courtesy of Bucharest Biennale.
Den andra, under ledning av Joanna Warsza med titeln What is public in public art? Fokuserar på frågorna: Hur kan konstverk skapa mening utifrån den plats där de skapas? Hur har begreppen situerad eller inbäddad kunskap förändrats genom åren? Vilka var de tidiga försöken att demonumentalisera konsten utanför museerna? Fokus ligger på utvalda utställningar och projekt: Culture in Action som kurerats av Mary Jane Jacob i Chicago 1993; Sonsbeek 93 som curerats av Valerie Smith; Endlichkeit der Freiheit, en utställning initierad av Heiner Müller och Rebecca Horn på båda sidorna om Berlinmuren och som förverkligades efter Berlinmurens fall; Construction in Process, en konstnärsinitierad, platsspecifik utställning i Łódz under tidigt 80-talet, Fem trädgårdar som curerats av Carlos Capelán 1996 i Simrishamn och Ystad, INSITE i San Diego och Tijuana, Galerie des Locataires, Skulptur Projekte Münster och U-media som curerats av VAVD Editions (Peter Andersson och Måns Wrange i samarbete med Lars Ahlström och Hans Anders Molin) i Umeå 1987.
On the right of the image a sign reads: “Truth is power”
Photo: Marielle Nitoslawska
Artists Museum Construction in Process, Tylna Street, Lodz, Poland
A passer-by looks at one of 100 monuments to Chicago women as part of Suzanne Lacy’s work Full Circle for “Culture in Action” (1993). By honoring women who contributed to the social fabric of the city the project combatted the overrepresentation of men in public space.
Photograph courtesy of Sculpture Center.
Krzysztof Wodiczko “Leninplatz-Projektion” DIE ENDLICHKEIT DER FREIHEIT BERLIN 1990. Krzysztof Wodiczko.
Photo: Werner Zellien, Krzyssztof Wodiczko
Local photographer Åke Hedström’s documentation of the making of the exhibition Five Gardens curated by Carlos Capelán in Simrishamn 1996. Max Liljefors installing his work Växthuset (The Greenhouse) at Kulturhuset Valfisken, with a collaborator.
Photo: Åke Hedström/Malmö Museer
Local photographer Åke Hedström’s documentation of the making of the exhibition Five Gardens curated by Carlos Capelán in Simrishamn 1996. Interior view of the abandoned train wagon where Sissel Tolaas installed her work, Parfym eller från natur till kultur (Perfume or from Nature to Culture).
Photo: Åke Hedström/Malmö Museer
Ida Biard installing Daniel Buren’s proposal for «Poste Restante», Budapest, 1974.
Photo: Courtesy Archives Galerie des Locataires
Jenny Holzer, Survival, 1983-85. The photo shows the sentence “Vissa stenar tål inte att vändas på” (Some stones are better left unturned) as screened on a large LED signboard outside Folkets Hus, in Umeå in 1987, in the context of U-media
Photo: Roger Nilsson
CuratorLabs deltagare 2020/21
Anna Mikaela Ekstrand är samarbetsvillig, ibland är hon otillgänglig men oftast anträffbar. Hennes CV är omfattande. Hitta henne gärna. PS. Cultbytes .
Giulia Floris, Rom, är konsthistoriker och forskare bosatt i Rom. För närvarande samarbetar hon med Istituto Villa Adriana och Villa d’Este – VILLÆ i Tivoli som utställningskoordinator, med CASTRO-projekt i Rom som Grants and Public Programme Manager, och med konstmässan ArtVerona som curator för LAB1 – en avdelning tillägnad ideella experimentella verkligheter.
Edy Fung, Hong Kong/Stockholm, är konstnär och curator från Hong Kong, som för närvarande pendlar mellan Stockholm och Derry. Hennes arbete befinner sig i på skärningspunkten mellan bildkonst, ljud och teknik.
Julius Lehmann, Münster, är konsthistoriker och historiker, särskilt inriktad på offentlig konst. Mellan 2017 och 2020 arbetade han som forskningsassistent på Skulptur Projekte Archives, i Münster.
Marc Navarro, Berlin/Barcelona, är curator och skribent baserad i Berlin. För tillfället curerar han utställningsserien Gira tot gira (Turn it all turns) på Fundación Joan Miró (Barcelona).
Simina Neagu, Bucharest/London, är konstadministratör, curator och skribent. Hennes researchbaserade praktik främjar ofta kritisk reflektion och kollektivt lärande. Hon är bosatt i London och arbetar på Iniva (Institute of International Visual Arts) med offentliga program, utställningar, publiceringsprojekt och residensverksamhet.
Hanna Nordell, Uppsala/Stockholm, är curator, konsthistoriker och kulturarbetare med ett särskilt intresse för samarbetsmetoder och tvärvetenskaplig research som kombinerar samtida konst, text och akademisk forskning. Hon arbetar för närvarande på Tensta konsthall med utställningar och program på konsthallen och i det offentliga rummet.
Tomek Pawłowski-Jarmołajew, Białystok/Poznań, är curator och kock.
Marja Rautaharju, Helsinki, är kulturarbetare och arkitekt bosatt i Helsingfors, och arbetar för närvarande på Museum of Finnish Architecture.
Erik Sandberg, Stockholm, som är konsthistoriker, curator och redaktör för den poesi- och konstinriktade tidskriften Tydningen.
