Feeling inspired after a day of meetings and presentations. The artists’ run art-scene is a truly wonderous place full of people who with often very limited resources make incredible and ambitious things happen both locally and internationally.
Land404 is a relatively recently established initiative running residencies and an exhibition programme in rural southern Sweden, and it was fascinating to be in a meeting (themed on ‘Curator as conceptual artist’) with them alongside Jason St-Laurent from Galerie SAW Gallery, Ottawa which has been going for 45 years and is in the midst of a massive expansion funded by the Canadian arts council. Listening to them speak about how they work with artists and audiences opened up the spectrum of possibilities and at the same time illustrated the strengths of having clear ambitions.
I am enjoying ‘representing myself’ as the PNP coordinator puts it and at the same time scouting about with the view of making contacts for what I referred to as the ‘artists’s collective’ that Klas and I are establishing in Enköping. Over the weekend I am going to meet-up with Gideon from Artist Run Alliance and register our Enköping project with their digital network – literally putting us on a virtual (international) map!
It is perhaps part due to the particular context of (modern) Sweden that Swedish artists seem to like/need a structure in which they can operate. The idea of a project or association developing organically seems quite an anathema to them – so I am coming around to idea of making a framework that will allow them easily to engage and particpate in something that (hopefully) will never be as fixed or as static as perhaps they might like! I have in mind a hybrid of an iceberg and a swan – a visible and serene portion above the waterline, a considerably larger and dynamic powerhouse operating unseen in deeper waters.
It is Supermarket time of the year again – this year’s moveable feast has taken up temporary residence in a (very) recently vacated former slaughter house in Stockholm’s former meat-packing district. The whole area is called ‘Slakthusområdet’ which translates literally as ‘The slaughter house area’, the swedish lanage can be wonderfully blunt at times. Waiting in the ‘Exhibitor’s and PNP Lounge’ for a guided tour of the fair there is the faint but distinct smell of butcher’s shop.
For the second year I am on the PNP programme – pnp standing for ‘Professional Networking Participants’ rather than drug and sex fuelled ‘Party’n’Play’ reference to be found on gay ‘dating’ sites and apps. It does not seem a year since the last time and I am perhaps a little too conscious that many of the ideas and contacts that I left last year’s fair with remain on my to do list. This year however finds me in a very different place professionally – I am moving in to a good studio and co-building an artists’ collective, and I have just two and a half months remaining of my part-time contract with the council. So even though I need to find some income I am in a great position to focus on taking a major step forward in terms of my practice and engagement with other artists and organisations.
There are 53 artist-led initiatives exhibiting here, and we are ten on the PNP programme. The exhibitors range from long established artists’ associations from the scandinavian countries to recently started collectives from Africa, in addition there are tangible and digital publications as well as loads of performances and talks. As a PNPer we have some extra meetings and presentations.
Despite the glorious spring weather we are experiencing in Sweden right now I am looking forward to spending most of next four days in the familiar but always different wonderful world of artists.
At 9.30 this morning I am going to meet three artists at the studio – hopefully they are interested in sharing the other large space. A fourth artist who is also interested in being part of the studio group is away until later in the week.
Klas and I spent Thursday at the studio and made good headway getting things in order – at least to point where we can start to move things over the old studio. The place was covered in a thick layer of ‘builder’s dust’, then there were the heaps of rubble, piles of torn-down electric cables, odd bits of old plasterboard (some of which we have salvaged), general scrap and a ‘wood effect’ plastic concertina door that needed dealing with. It seems that as soon as permission to make new windows was denied the builders simply packed up their tools and left.
In the process of cleaning we chatted about how we want the studios to be: a dynamic and inspiring workplace for those of us there on a regular basis, but also a place where there can be ‘open workshops’, courses, temporary exhibitions, and guest artists – all making use of a ‘project room’. Two adult education organisations have expressed an interest in taking on a studio/room and although this is an attractive offer we came to the conclusion that it might be better for us if they hire/book the project room at a ‘day rate’. This would enable us to make best use of the space and maintain the ‘artistic identity’ of the studios. We are also very clear that we are starting a process and that things will shift and develop organically as we get going.
It felt very good to be in the space – the rooms are well proportioned and the natural light is very welcome after a year in a studio without windows. The dated and somewhat peculiar colour scheme is far from what I would choose however it is not something that we are going to do anything about for the foreseeable future. If we get a long-term contract it would be worth the investment of both time and money. For now it is definitely a case of ‘make do and mend’. In our current studio Klas and I each adopted one of the two adjoining spaces, the new studio suggests new ways of thinking about space and we have decided to divide the room that we will share into separate ‘clean’ and ‘dirty’ areas – both of which we will share. As we both work with materials/projects that range from the terminally dusty to the almost clinically pristine this arrangement should work well for us.
Not only is there daylight in the new studio but there is also heating (and even a bit of basic ventilation). This means that the working environment is not only more pleasant for us but also more favourable to our materials. It is possible to have paper and fabric there without the worry of them getting mouldy or otherwise damaged. So all the stuff that I dared not have the old studio (finished pieces and raw material) can be moved out of my apartment and I will have a proper bedroom for the first time since moving to Sweden (in 2011)! For this and many other reasons it feels as though I am embarking on something that is very ‘grown-up’.
With the group show in London and the two-person show here not far off I am keen to get in and get on!
The new studio is going ahead! Klas signed the paperwork and now we are just waiting on getting the keys*. It is fantastic and is going to make a huge difference in my life – I cannot describe how much I am look forward to having somewhere decent to work. Just the thought of it makes me more determined to find ways to make my practice financially viable in and of itself. It might well be time to prioritise all those various funding avenues still available here in Sweden.
What I really need to be getting on with is preparing for the two upcoming shows.
One large hollow polystyrene ball (500mm diameter) ordered so that I can see how it looks glittered and work out how to hang it. It will be good to know how much it weighs when it’s covered in glitter … and how much glitter it takes to cover it!
Two more Hermés style scarves found in a local charity shop today. I need to pull together pictures of the pieces that I am interesting showing so that Klas and I can start to plan the show. The Hermés piece would be great in the garden!
My annual proofreading of the Supermarket art fair catalogue entries and magazine texts is almost completed. The task has been far easier this year as Alice, the project manager, has acted as editor so the majority of my work has been making simple corrections to English language and grammar – I have deleted what surely amounts to a sea of commas, Swedes seem to want one after at least every third word, whether, it requires one, or not. My reward for doing this unpaid work is getting a place on the fair’s Professional Networking Participants’ programme. I did this last year too and it was a great experience. I look forward to meeting with both existing and new colleagues over the four days of the fair.
*We are in now in discussion with a rather wonderful Swedish organisation that promotes and supports smaller reading/learning groups. They are interested in taking over the head-lease of the building, this would enable us to hire just our studios and if we run workshops or regular artist’s meetings we might even get a subsidy!
