Per Gunnar Eeg-Tverbakk ended his managerial involvement with Kunsthall Oslo October 1—almost two years after he and Will Bradley initiated the exhibition venue in Bjørvika. Since its inception in autumn 2010, Kunsthall Oslo has maintained a high level of activity and events with a diverse, multidisciplinary program, and as of this year, the institution has also been responsible for art programming at Oslo S. Eeg-Tverbakk ended his post as CEO at Kunsthall Oslo due to personal reasons. His position will not be advertised; instead, his responsibilities will now be shared between Will Bradley and Kathrine Wilson. In the future, Eeg-Tverbakk will be associated with Kunsthall Oslo as a board member. Original article in Norwegian (03.10.12).
The Danish minister of culture Uffe Elbæk has been described as a “very, very big disappointment” in his first year in office by gallerist Nicolai Wallner in the Danish daily Politiken. Wallner accuses Elbæk of having a lack of interest in art, instead pandering to trendy events as a cool, public figure. Elbæk and Wallner’s perspectives exemplify contrasting perspectives: is art something you invest in because you believe in its peculiar qualities (without it necessarily providing immediate returns), or is it an expenditure in accordance with others? Both possess the entrepreneurial spirit of the early 1990’s, yet they have chosen different paths in regards to how to create and invest. Wallner is more invested in the arts as an established gallerist; Elbæk has duties as minister and political responsibilities aligning with the Radical Left. Original article in Danish (03.10.12).
Claes Tellvid (b. 1952) has been working as an illustrator, artist and poet since the 1970’s. From Saturday, October 6, his works will be exhibited at OEI journal’s exhibition space, OEI Colour Project, in Stockholm. Tellvid explores everyday language and literary terms; the Fluxus movement and conceptual art are clear reference points. In an interview with Kunstkritikk, Tellvid states, “My work, which could be classified more as art, is moving toward a common action. This has always been important. A reader’s encounter with the text implies a form of collectivity, but the writing itself is a solitary act.” Original article in Swedish (04.10.12).
This year, art journal Paletten has been chosen as Sweden’s best cultural magazine by the Association for Swedish Cultural Journals; it is co-edited by Fredrik Svensk, Sinziana Ravini and Milou Allerholm after Sophie Allgård stepped down in 2010. Paletten’s first issue was released in 1940, and it has now adopted a clearer, critical and political angle. Current editors allow room for longer theoretical essays accompanied by traditional commentary and debate. Previous winners of the cultural magazine award have been OEI, Word & Image and Fronesis; the prize consists of 40,000 Swedish kroner and a Peter Johansson artwork. Original article in Swedish (01.10.12).
Director of Malmö Konsthall and curator Jacob Fabricius is the force behind Pork Salad Press and the publishing project 24 Advertisements—a special red-white package containing: “2 magazines, 1 key ring, 1 CD, 1 sticker, 1 rubber band and 1 fly swatter” (according to the declaration on the back). The package documents a project which ran over 24 months consisting of 24 ads created by 24 different artists such as Tauba Auerbach, Henriette Heise, Jonathan Monk and Keren Cytter, among others. One magazine contains documentation of ads as they have appeared in magazines; the other consists of interviews with the artists and an article by Niels Henriksen introducing the “artists’ ad” phenomenon in a conceptual, art historical light. The project supports Fabricius’ long interest in advertising and media as well as his ambition to create loopholes for artistic information, criticism and aesthetics. Fabricius explains, “In 2009, I received a dissemination grant for 50,000 Danish kroner from the Danish Arts Council; I thought it would be fun to spend the money on a new non-intermediary communication project rather than buy a new pair of shoes, some nails or beer.” Original article in Danish (28.09.12)
On April 19, 1976, Norwegian artist Tor Hoff murdered his girlfriend with a hammer, then sat down to write his Last Will and Testament before killing himself by jumping from an eight story window. Artist Victor Boullet is hosting a combined performance and talk focusing on the works and death of Tor Hoff at Henie Onstad Kunstsenter. Even though Hoff was an influential and productive artist, he is more or less absent from Norwegian art history. When asked by Kunstkritikk about his interest in Hoff, Boullet states, “Personally, I believe that if we can talk about the murder and suicide, then there is also a possibility that we can create a distance between the person Hoff and his images. It’s about a body of work and the bias one has towards it after one learns what the man did.” Original article in Norwegian (04.10.12).
The critiques for this week are Line Ulekleiv on To Be With Art Is All We Ask at the recently opened Astrup Fearnley Museum, Tjuvholmen, Oslo; Stian Gabrielsen on With My Eyes Closed I See Happiness at Gallery Brandstrup exhibiting Marina Abramović’s work, Oslo; and Maria Kjær Themsen on Realismus ist kein Stil at Signal, Malmö.
