Disappearing Body – Becoming Tsujimura, Heirloom, Copenhagen. Curators: bluestockings (bs)
I really connect with independent art space Heirloom’s program, and Disappearing Body – Becoming Tsujimura was undoubtedly one of my highlights of the year. In the exhibition, Japanese artist Yoshiko Shimada, Danish sound artist Aase Nielsen, and Copenhagen-based performer Body_hacker gathered around the legacy of experimental dancer Kazuko Tsujimura (1941–2004), an overlooked figure of Japan’s post-war avant-garde. The ways in which the three living artists engaged with Tsujimura’s archival material enhanced a transhistorical dialogue charged with beauty and dissonance. Personal note/echo: the fight against forgetfulness is necessarily a creative task.
Hannah Heilmann, Horseshoe shaped point of no return, Pachinko, Oslo
Winter long, hope and stubborn; hey the worst that can happen is we just don’t sleep all night; that’s ok (bedless noob); AuDHDs blessings. These were some of the work titles in Danish artist Hannah Heilmann’s highly-evocative show at the artist-run gallery Pachinko, which I can’t get out of my mind. The artist presented sculptural compositions made out of clothing and daily objects, outlining an intimate journal. In that atmosphere, the plastic twist bands from bread packages served as testaments to the passage of time. I love when small (and ambitious) independent spaces allow us to engage with art in such a touching way!
Underneath the Paving Stone, Lund Konsthall. Curator: Karin Bähler Lavér
Underneath the Paving Stone, which runs until January next year, raises big questions about power structures and resistance, public space and agency. Group shows can be tricky, and quite often artists are invited to simply illustrate a social inquiry. In this case, it’s clear that the exhibition has instead been put together following the conviction that art is a critical tool capable of expanding our political imagination. Precise curation, strong works, a breath of freedom.
– Jari Malta is a curator born in Uruguay. He lives in Malmö, where he co-runs Fuxia 2, a platform for curatorial experimentation. Next up is a solo exhibition by Pia Rönicke, presented in collaboration with SIGNAL – Center for Contemporary Art.
