Today at noon, Kunstkritikk launched its online Nordic and International editions. After ten years of silence there is once again a journal for Nordic contemporary art.
– The 2000s has been a decade of globalization of the international art scene. However, during that same time, the Nordic voice was silenced, and in 2002 the art magazine NU: The Nordic Art Review was discontinued. We now see the reasons for why it is important to maintain such a discussion in a globalized world. It is artistically, culturally, and politically important that the Nordic countries are in dialogue with each other – not just with Berlin and New York, says Jonas Ekeberg, editor of Kunstkritikk.
– We will offer news and thus contribute to a groundwork of mutual knowledge in the Nordic art scene. However, our most important role is to contribute to strengthening
Nordic art criticism. Criticism is the cornerstone of our editorial platform, and we shall follow both current events and more long-term artistic developments using some of the region’s best writers, Ekeberg said.
Over the past year, Kunstkritikk has built up a Nordic editorial team and attempted to continuously publish articles concerning Nordic issues on the Norwegian site kunstkritikk.no. Now we will launch the Nordic edition, which will also be available on kunstkritikk.se and kunstkritikk.dk. On a later date, Finland and Iceland will also be included in the project.
The international perspective is also important. The majority of the artists, projects, and themes that we comment on operate within an international context. Therefore, the criticism should also be accessible to those who cannot speak Scandinavian languages. Online publications are now well equipped to accommodate multiple languages, something that was previously a major challenge for Nordic publications, says Ekeberg.
– Norwegian, Swedish and Danish readers will now be able to visit their respective Website in their own language. The articles will, however, continue to also be published in their original languages. We firmly believe that Nordic art discussions should take place in Nordic languages. We have also received substantial feedback from readers who gladly make the extra effort to read articles written in the languages of neighboring countries, says Ekeberg.
In conjunction with the launch of the Nordic edition, Kunstkritikk is also coming out with an international edition, www.kunstkritikk.com. This will be a preliminary trial-version, with selected articles translated into English.
– The Nordic countries spend large sums to support artists, art production, and art distribution. Yet they spend noticeably little to support art criticism. This project thus offers an opportunity for cultural politicians. We sincerely hope and believe that in the near future we will be able to enhance projects by collaborating with more partners and supporters, says Ekeberg.
Kunstkritikk was created in 2003 based on an initiative from the Norwegian Critics Association. It publishes daily criticism, commentary, and news from the art world. The Website receives annual support from Arts Council Norway; while support for the new editions comes from the Nordic Culture Fund and the Norwegian Freedom of Expression Foundation, Oslo. Kunstkritikk has additionally sought support from Swedish and Danish sources.
The launch of Kunstkritikk’s two new editions will be celebrated with a seminar at Kunstnernes Hus in Oslo on May 19th. Among the participants are Jennifer Allen, who is the editor of the new German-English edition of the Art Magazine Frieze; Chus Martinez, the former chief curator at MACBA in Barcelona and now the editor of dOCUMENTA (13)’s publication; Anton Vidokle, the founder of the news digest – e-flux announcements – and e-flux journal; and Fredrik Svensk, critic and editor of the Swedish journal Paletten. The seminar is produced in collaborate with Kunstneres Hus and The National Academy of the Arts in Oslo.
As of May 19th, Kunstkritikk can be found at the following addresses:
Norwegian Edition: www.kunstkritikk.no
Nordic Editions: www.kunstkritikk.no/www.kunstkritikk.dk/www.kunstkritikk.se
International Edition: www.kunstkritikk.com
I’m very happy to be able to read an english version of this, its just a shame that some of the grammar is not quite correct and some of the sentences are not formed correctly. It’s just a little obvious that it is written by a Norwegian, and would be better translated by somebody with English as their first language.