Exhibitions, screening and performance at HDK-Valand
June 17–July 1, 2023
HDK-Valand, University of Gothenburg is pleased to announce the OPEN UP festival Gothenburg 2023, a series of exhibitions, performances, screenings and workshops featuring the work of participants in the Creative Europe co-funded OPEN UP project (2019–23). The festival includes exhibitions, screenings and an evening of music and dance by a range of established and emerging artists, makers and designers. The festival begins with a series of exhibitions at the HDK-Valand building at Vasagatan 50, Gothenburg on Saturday 17 June 1 pm to 4 pm.
Contributors to the festival exhibitions include: Aladdin Mofakheri, Annika Wennberg, Azad Larki, Bereen Darwish, Catalina Fuentes Arayal, Fatemeh Salehi, Gunilla Gränsbo, Hamidreza Jahantighl, Heba Alakkad, Helaleh Ghaderi, Ingrid Lindberg, Kamaran Seydiyan, Marie Bergqvist, Masoud Yousefi, Nada Alichiah, Negar Latifian, Nora Ordenes Söderbergh, Olof Nilsson, Rezgar Alipanah, Ronak Rabiee, Roya Charehtalab, Sara Khayat, Tara Talebsafa, Tayebeh (Roz) Madadi, and Ward Zaraa.
The exhibition of youth work also includes contributions by Chro Seyedi, Elin Wennberg, Kamyan Seydiyan, Kavian Seydiyan, Saga Bjarnason, and Shenyan Yousefi.
Some of the members from the OPEN UP project team, Azadeh E Zaghi, Behjat Omer Abdulla, Eldin Smajlović, and Mick Wilson, will also present new and recent works within the Festival.
On Monday June 19 from 6–8pm there’s a screening of video and film works at the Academy’s cinema Bio Valand. Attendance is free, but spaces are limited so pre-booking is highly recommended: eventbrite booking.
On Wednesday June 21 from 6pm onward we have a programme of performance and music featuring the Kurdish dance group Jin, Jiyan, Azadî and the music duo Per and Nada (Nada Alichiah and Per Ohlson) with special guests. Attendance is free, but spaces are limited so pre-booking is highly recommended: eventbrite booking.
The festival concludes on Saturday July 1 with a launch event for the OPEN UP HDK-Valand FESTIVAL 2023 publication that documents the festival and profiles the artists contributing to the festival at 2pm. This publication will then accompany the works when they travel for the International OPEN UP Festival in Nicosia, Cyprus in October 2023. A preview of the OPEN UP Festival brochure is available from June 17, 2023 here.
OPEN UP is a four year cultural project (2019-2023) funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union. It aims to build visibility and experience for artists, designers, craftspeople and performers. We work to support creative makers and performers who face different kinds of obstacles in building the visibility of their arts practice or who are seeking access to further education or support networks. OPEN UP HDK-Valand works not on the basis of identity categories, but rather on the basis of an open invitation to collectively work to build visibility for arts practices that face different challenges in accessing public visibility.
HDK-Valand is one of the seven partners in the OPEN UP Europe network that also includes: Pierides Foundation, Nicosia, Cyprus / PUBLICS, Helsinki, Finland / Université de Picardie Jules Verne (UPJV), Amiens, France / University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece / New Hand Lab (Enterprise for Traditional Techniques), Covilhã, Portugal / Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Dates and venues
Exhibitions vernissage: Saturday June 17, 1–4pm (CET)
At ROTOR Gallery, MONITOR Gallery and HDK-Valand Project Spaces. Featuring artists, makers and desigers, with one exhibition section dedicated to young people.
Film and video screening: Monday June 19, 6–8pm (CET)
At Bio Valand, Vasagatan 50. A screening programme of film and video work by OPEN UP participants.
Evening of music and dance: Wednesday June 21, at 6–9pm (CET)
At Glashuset, Vasagatan 50. With the music duo Per and Nada and Kurdish dance group Jin, Jiyan, Azadî.
Festival publication launch: Saturday July 1, 2–3pm (CET)
At Vasagatan 50. A special publication profiling the festival contributors and the OPEN UP Gothenburg project ethos.
