Artica Svalbard is pleased to announce its inaugural opening in Longyearbyen. Along with its founders and collaborating partners, Artica Svalbard will introduce its Artist-in-Residence Programme March and April 2017. A Public Programme will also be launched, with the objective of engaging with Svalbard’s local community as well as national and international guests.
Artica Svalbard was founded by the The Norwegian Ministry of Culture, Fritt Ord (the Freedom of Expression Foundation) and SpareBank1 (Nord-Norge’s Cultural Business Development Foundation), on November 8, 2016.
The participation of international artists and writers from all fields, in both the Artist-in-Residence Programme and the Public Programme, has been conceived in order to contribute to the cultural life of Svalbard through dialogue with the local community, its resident researchers and varied professionals, together with the investigations and critical thinking of the participating artists and writers. With this in mind, Artica Svalbard intends to promote discussions and thinking about the Arctic and its importance concerning questions of resources, nature, technology, society, culture and geopolitics in relation to the global world we live in today, and within the environmental and political changes we are facing collectively—internationally and within the circumpolar region.
The launch also marks the start of collaboration with OCA, Office of Contemporary Art Norway, Norwegian PEN and Queen Sonja Print Award, who will select artists and writers from their networks to undertake residencies in Svalbard over a period of 3–9 months each, this year and in the years to come. With our collaborating partners and North Norway Art Museum and Kunsthall Svalbard we will shape public projects and programmes in Longyearbyen and beyond.
These artists and writers will contribute to the legacy of what Artica Svalbard is—and intends to be—through their presence, work and research conducted during their residency. Their investigations and thinking will inspire a series of public programmes of talks and seminars which will intend to stimulate a wider critical and philosophical exchange of ideas, research and expressions, across the circumpolar region and internationally.
The initial artists and writers invited to participate in Artica Svalbard’s Artist-in-Residence are:
Nominated by OCA, Office for Contemporary Art:
Carlos Casas, Mette Henriette, Oddvar I.N. Daren and Lars Paalgard
Nominated by Norwegian PEN:
Ashur Etwebi, Iman Humaydan, Juni Dahr
Nominated by Queen Sonja Print Award:
Tiina Kivinen, Carroll Dunham, Tauba Auerbach
Nominated in partnership by OCA, Office for Contemporary Art and Queen Sonja Print Award:
Joan Jonas
Acknowledgements
Artica Svalbard Foundation has been made possible through generous support from The Norwegian Ministry of Culture, Fritt Ord (the Freedom of Expression Foundation), Kulturnœringsstiftelsen SpareBank1 Nord-Norge (Nord-Norge’s Cultural Business Development Foundation) and Sparebankstiftelsen DNB (The Savings Bank Foundation DNB).
Thanks also to Longyearbyen Lokalstyre.
Info
For press inquiries, please contact Audhild Dahlstrøm on audhild [at] articasvalbard.no / T +47 90798610
