Exhibition opening Oct 11, 16-20h
Exhibition runs through Oct 12, 12-18 and Oct 13, 12-15
Curated by Audrius Pocius, curator CCA Vilnius
Initiated and organised by Christoph Draeger, professor in fine arts, Umeå University
Made possible with generous support by KUNO, Umeå Academy of Fine Arts, Tryggve Lundberg, and Kulturmejeriet
FRAGILE
If one chooses to do art, one is either a believer, or is feeling a little lost in the contemporary world, where everything is determined by its purpose. Either way, uncertainty becomes a constant attendant, even if not a very reliable one. Like magma, it boils underneath every thought, action or hope, giving new shapes to things, although never allowing one to fully exhaust it. On the other hand, an idea, once executed, becomes something foreign to how it was first conceived. Transformed by the modes of production, by input of others, the work of art follows a tale of its own, for which, as an artist, one does not bear complete responsibility. In fact, the contrary might be true – the more control is commanded onto the artwork, the less it allows itself to be tamed by it.
Then, there is another side of the coin – the eye of another, a connoisseur, a dilettante, a visitor of an exhibition or a passer-by. Curious, but impatient, she devours the piece with her gaze, unable to break through the surface, declaring that what is not seen, must not even exist. Thus, never satisfied, this viewer urges for more and in this way, haste is transformed into an industry, where artworks are defined not by the stories they tell, but how quickly they are forgotten. The Fragile Biennale, a brief glimmer, is a celebration of its own transience: an exercise in presence.
(Curatorial statement by Audrius Pocius)
The one-week workshop, initiated and organised by Prof. Christoph Draeger, consists of the realisation of an international group exhibition within one week. The exhibition, titled Fragile: The 2nd Röbäck Bienniale, will be developed and exhibited at Kulturmejeriet, an industrial building in Röbäck near Umeå that serves as a studio building for local artists. The gallery of Konsthögskolan Umeå will serve as a production, meeting and exhibition space throughout the week. A third venue will be the artist-run project space Up Here! at the entrance of Konsthögskolan. More venues might be added as the project evolves.
MFA students from Umeå and from the Kuno Network will install their work collaboratively with Audrius Pocius, curator at the Centre of Contemporary Art CCA in Vilnius, and Prof. Christoph Draeger, head of Master’s programme at Umeå Academy of Fine Arts.
List of artists:
Rakel Bergman Fröberg
Tekla Bergman Fröberg
Hannah Brännström
Chen Yi-Wen
Mikaela Crantz
Maja Li Härdelin
Henrik Haukeland
Line Gry Neivelt
Jonatan Pihlgren
Joel Danielsson & Louise Öhman
Simona Rukuižaitė
Yuri Rusinof
Ellen Shipway
Hemmo Siponen
Aap Kaur Suvi
Mathijs Van Sark
Per Westerlund
Bobby Yu Shuk Pui