Reminiscences of Sports

Konsthall 16 is the result of a collaboration between Tore A Jonasson’s foundation and Riksidrottsmuseet (the Swedish Sports Museum). The foundation was started by Tore A Jonasson (1916–2015) with the purpose of presenting temporary exhibitions of contemporary art, to show selected works from his collection and to annually acquire sports-related art and award a number of grants to artists and sports practitioners. Curator of Konsthall 16 is Ulrika Levén, previously curator for the Nordic Art Prize Carnegie Art Award. Konsthall 16 hosts two to three exhibitions per year, primarily of Swedish and Nordic art, but occasionally also features international artists. The focus is on contemporary art that in some way relates to sports issues.  

The foundation, which is managed by Handelsbanken, appointed an art board consisting of Mårten Castenfors, director of Liljevalchs Konsthall, Pernilla Klingofström director of Riksidrottsmuseet, and Karolina Peterson, arts officer for the municipality of Halmstad. The art board manage the foundation’s acquisitions and nominate grant recipients, focusing primarily on contemporary art connected in some way to sports by established Swedish artists.   

Reminiscences of sports – Tore A Jonasson’s collection 
Konsthall 16 will launch its exhibitions programme with Reminiscences of Sports – Tore A Jonasson’s Collection, featuring new acquisitions to the Tore A Jonasson collection. Nine prominent Swedish artists are participating with works that relate directly or indirectly to sports, several of which were commissioned for the collection: Ernst Billgren, Lena Cronqvist, Maria Friberg, Charlotte Gyllenhammar, Claes Jurander, Assa Kauppi, Jockum Nordström, Dan Wolgers and Thomas Wågström. 

The title of the exhibition, Reminiscences of Sports, comes from one of the works featured in it, and sums up the focus of Tore A Jonasson’s life but also serves as a collective heading for the works in his collection. 
Ernst Billgren’s eponymously titled work shows a river of sports paraphernalia flowing past Stockholm Stadium, the world’s oldest Olympic arena still in use. Lena Cronqvist’s characteristic girls are busy with double skipping ropes, or “Double Dutch,” the official name of the international. Two works by Maria Friberg: a photograph showing a man’s futile attempts to climb a pillar of sports goods, fettered by consumerism rather than being mobile. In the Film Commoncause, 300 velvet-covered basket balls roll down the stairs of the Nationalmuseum like an anonymous descending crowd. Charlotte Gyllenhammar’s work with the ambiguous title Unstable II is a still from a film from the Royal Stables, conveying a sense of both control and instability. Claes Jurander tells in a painting and a film of a magical football game from his youth, a match that had to stop due to heavy snowfall that made it impossible to continue playing, despite the heroic feats of the angelic players. A few key words in sports are illustrated in Assa Kauppi’s expressive sculptures of children: Camaraderie, Struggle and Teamwork. Football features in several works; at the time of the opening, a floss carpet by Jockum Nordström is being woven by Märta Måås-Fjetterströms ateljé in Båstad, with an abstract representation of childhood memories of ball games of all kinds. Football is also central to Dan Wolgers’ work, an assemblage with the telling and ambiguous title Ecstasy. Thomas Wågström’s photographs from rugged gyms, reveals a different side than the usual rendering of the boxer as a fighter. Instead, these are subtle and existential portraits of old and young practitioners of the noble art of self-defence. 

Grants 
In connection with the opening, two grants of SEK 200 000 each (approximately USD 22,000) will be presented to Lars Blomqvist and Rita Lundqvist. Moreover, six grants of SEK 100,000 each (approximately USD 11,000) will go to sports clubs that have evolved into modern organisations with a strong social commitment. 

Exhibition program 2019 
Coming exhibitions include separate exhibitions with John Kørner (DK), opening May 25, and Anastasia Ax (SE) opening October 12. (dates subject to change). 

Architecture and graphic design: Anna Edsjö and Malvin Karlsson, Unna design.