THE CONTEMPORARY ART DAYS SUMMIT 2018 NETWORKS AND ALLIANCES samtidskonstdagarna.se/en 14–16 November 2018 Boden/Luleå 13 November Pre-summit visit to Kiruna The Contemporary Art Days is the annual contemporary art summit that brings together art professionals from across Sweden and other countries to discuss current issues for art organisations. In 2018, for the first time, the summit is organised under the aegis of the Public Art Agency Sweden. This year’s summit will focus on building networks and alliances as strate- gies for action in contemporary art organisations today. The last few years have witnessed a large increase in organisational networks across the art field in Sweden. Whether formal or informal, on a local or national scale, with Nordic or international counterparts, alliances are formed in a variety of constellations between art institutions, self-organised initiatives and other organisations. Are these networks signs of the signature strategy of the neoliberal working world? Or are they responses of mutual support and solidarity by small and mid-size art organisations in the changing political landscape and precarious economic conditions? Or are today’s networks merely new forms of age old tools for building assemblies around mutual concerns? The Contemporary Art Days 2018 presents a diverse programme comprising guest speakers, performances, site visits and workshops that will examine a variety of ways of working with networks and building strategic alliances. The summit is held in the region of Norrbotten in the north of Sweden. A preview of the 2018 Luleå Biennial is included in the programme, as well as a pre-summit site visit to Kiruna, a mining town that is being relocated and rebuilt. On the occasion of the summit and the biennial, Public Art Agency Sweden will also reactivate The Blood of Stars by Raqs Media Collective, a site-specific installation located inside the abandoned subterranean military facility Mjölkuddsberget in Luleå. Programme group: Edi Muka, Cornelius Stiefenhofer, Ingela Ögren Weinmar, Niklas Östholm and Giorgiana Zachia. Contemporary Art Days Summit 2018 is co-produced by Havremagasinet Regional Centre for Contemporary Art; Konstfrämjandet, People’s Movements for Art Promotion; and Public Art Agency Sweden with financial support from the Norrbotten County Council. 3 The Contemporary Art Days 2018 Programme 14–16 November WEDNESDAY 14 NOVEMBER Saga Cinema, Drottninggatan 4, Boden 13.00 Registration, networking and coffee 14.00 Welcome Speeches: Magdalena Malm and Kristina Nilsson EN / SE 14.15 Performance: NORDTING (The Northern Assembly), Boden Amund Sjølie Sveen EN 15.30 Introduction, workshop and coffee Giorgiana Zachia, Kajsa Balkfors and Jesper Hök SE / EN 17.00 Discussion on networks and collaborations among art organisations in the Barents Region: Kristoffer Dolmen, Hanna Horsberg Hansen, Jérémie Michael McGowan, Svein Ingvoll Pedersen, Riitta Kuusikko and Cornelius Stiefenhofer EN 17.40 Closing remarks 18.00 Bus to Rödbergsfortet, part of Boden Fortress 18.30 Dinner at Rödbergsfortet. Visit of A Sense of War av Karl Sjölund (a part of Luleå Biennial) 20.00 Bus to Havremagasinet Regional Centre for Contemporary Art 20.30 Mingle at Havremagasinet. The exhibitions may be visited THURSDAY 15 NOVEMBER Folkets Hus, Kungsgatan 51, Boden 08.30 Introduction 08.45 Panel discussion on financing of networks. Miriam Andersson Blecher (Botkyrka konsthall), Robert Brodén (Swedish Postcode Foundation), Ola Kellgren (Nordic Culture Point) and Caroline Lund (The National Association of Swedish Art Societies) SE 09.40 Lecture: Grégory Castéra – Infinite Ear: A Curatorial Inquiry EN 10.10 Lecture: Julie Decker – Sharing Tomorrow EN 10.40 Coffee and reflections in groups 11.00 Lecture: Maria Lind – Eroseffekten och närhetsprincipen / ”The Eros Effect and Subsidiarity SE 4 11.30 Lecture: Ulricha Johnson – Nätverk inom scenkonsten / ”Networks in Performing Arts” SE 12.00 Reflections in groups 12.30 Lunch, Casa Bodensia 13.30 Parallel workshops: Grégory Castéra – What do we have in common? How can art organisa- tions evolve through the concerns of the public? EN Julie Decker – Change, Culture & Conflict: Organisational Response EN, Jenny Grönvall and Anna Norberg – Bästa Biennalen: Att nå ut / “The Best Biennial: Outreach” SE, Stefan Ingvarsson – Därför ska vi samarbeta med Ryssland / “This is why we should collaborate with Russia” SE, Ulricha Johnson – Att utveckla nätverk / “Developing Networks” SE 15.00 Coffee and exchange of experiences and presentations of attending networks 17.00 Lecture: Sandi Hilal – Al-Madhafah/The Living Room EN 17.30 Conclusion 18.00 Performance dinner: Sandi Hilal – The Right to Be a Host – a part of Al-Madhafah/The Living Room FRIDAY 16 NOVEMBER 9.30 Bus to Defence Museum Boden 10.30 Bus to Mjölkuddsberget 11.15 Visit of The Blood of Stars at Mjölkuddsberget (part of Luleå Biennal) 11.45 Bus to Luleå kulturhus 12.15 Lunch in central Luleå (NB. not included in the conference fee) 13.15 The curatorial team present the Luleå Biennial at Luleå Art Center 14.00 Optional visits to Galleri Syster, Norrbottens museum, etc. (approx. 2 hours). After 16.00 return journey The programme will be held in English and Swedish. 5 The Contemporary Art Days 2018 / Programme 14–16 November Details About The Programme 14/11, 14.15 NORDTING (The Northern Assembly) – Boden Led by Amund Sjølie Sveen with Maya Mi Samuelsen and Erik Stifjell NORDTING is a people’s assembly and a political party; it’s a gala performance and a separatist movement. After hoisting the red flag all over Norway – from the capital in the south to the most remote corner of the North, NORDTING is now ready to take responsibility for the whole Arctic colony. The power is still in the south. The money is still in the south. There are still people who are rich and poor. It’s time to sharpen the arguments. It’s time to bully the capital. It’s time to drink vodka and take a crack course in political theory – all while tears well in your eyes and your hearts burst for a free and independent North. It’s time to let the Reindeer banner wave proudly over the land. 14/11, 17.00 Panel discussion on networks and collaborations between art organisations in the Barents Region. With Kristoffer Dolmen (Sámi Dáiddaguovddáš / Sami Centre for Contemporary Art), Hanna Horsberg Hansen (UiT – The Arctic University of Norway), Jérémie McGowan (Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum), Svein Ingvoll Pedersen, Riitta Kuusikko (Rovaniemi Art Museum). Moderator: Cornelius Stiefenhofer (Havremagasinet Regional Art Gallery) The Barents Region is a political construct created in the 1990s to establish contacts with Russia, which suddenly opened its borders after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. It covers the Northern parts of Scandinavia and parts of Northwest Russia. It is this area that is understood as the core of Sápmi. In this panel we will examine networks and collaborations among some of the art institutions in the region. How have they worked and developed in a climate where this modus operandi is practical and necessary, politically encouraged 6 and traditionally practised? How do art institutions navigate the historical, political and social entanglements and what can art do? Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum is dedicated to creative experimenta- tion, outreach and research on the North. As the art museum for north Norwegian and Sámi art, we advocate northern ideas and perspectives, fostering dialogue between Northern Norway and the world. In 2017 the museum won four national prizes, including “Museum of the Year” from the Norwegian Museums’ Association in recognition of its collaboration with RiddoDuottarMuseat on the museum performance Sámi Dáiddamusea. www.nnkm.no North Norwegian Art Centre (NNKS) is a regional centre for visual art that comprises the entire region of Northern Norway. The art centre’s office, gallery and artist residency are located in Svolvær, Lofoten. NNKS supports projects and regional initiatives in the field of visual art and runs an extensive programme throug- hout Northern Norway. NNKS organises the biennial Lofoten International Art Festival (LIAF). http://www.nnks.no/ Rovaniemi Art Museum is based at the Arctic Circle in Finland. The essential focus of exhibitions, art education and research is the northern dimension, with the museum working actively both locally and internationally. Rovaniemi Art Museum places its main focus on contemporary Finnish art and art in the Arctic. The main collection of the Rovaniemi Art Museum is called Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation Art Collection. It is one of the most important contemporary art collections in Finland. Representing a cross-section of Finnish art from the 1940s to the present it comprises over 3,000 works. The collection enjoys a reputation of exceptional quality. http://www.korundi.fi 7 The Contemporary Art Days 2018 / Details About The Programme 14/11 Sámi Dáiddaguovddáš (SDG) / Sami Centre for Contemporary Art was founded in 1986 by the Sami Artists’ Union. Sámi Dáiddaguovddáš became a foundation in 2013, and in 2014 the centre relocated to a new complex in Karasjok. SDG carries out an ambitious programme of exhibitions and events focusing primarily on Sami contemporary art from Norway, Sweden and Finland and also includes other international artists. In the coming year SDG will work on new, in-house solo exhibitions fea- turing artists such as Outi Pieski (FI), Katarina Pirak Sikku (SE), Arnold Johansen (NO), Synnøve Persen (NO) and Rose-Marie Huuva (SE). In addition, the centre collaborates with outside parties on projects and exhibitions both in and beyond Sápmi. http://samidaiddaguovddas.no/ 15/11, 08.45 Panel discussion on financing of networks: Miriam Andersson Blecher (Botkyrka konsthall) Robert Brodén (Swedish Postcode Foundation) Ola Kellgren (Nordic Culture Point) and Caroline Lund (the National Association of Swedish Art Societies). Nordic Culture Point and Swedish Postcode Foundation provide financial support to, among others, networks and collaborations between different types of art organisations in and outside the field of art, in and beyond Sweden.