Artist in residency at AiR Sandnes, Rives Granade, placed this triptycon of a fire at the dull, well hidden and forgotten square Fokustorget in Sandnes. It was a nice little surprise to discover it, in between all decay and debris.
This is an exhibition you could spend days at. The church hall of Nikolaj Art Hall offered a vast variety of video art, curated by several people, focusing on different themes. On several screens the different curators showed their selection. The result of an open competition was also showed. And if you wanted to see the contributions that were not chosen in the competition, or just any of the videos shown in the exhibition, there were screens where you could pick and choose for yourself.
This is an exhibition you would have to spend a certain amount of time on to enjoy. You could choose to see through the selection of a curator, or just wander around and see what catched your attention. My attention was most of all caught by the selection curated by Katrine Ring, showing documentation of street art. The same selection is also shown at the "Walk This Way" exhibition at Køs museum of art in public spaces, in Køge.
KØS - museum of art in public spaces
Køge, Denmark
7.5.-18.9.11 www.koes.dk
the map of Walk This Way - design by Mormor
click to enlarge
After a visit inside the museum, it is time to have a look at the art outside. The museum handed out a beautiful map made by the artist Mormor, with description of the artists and the location of the pieces.
It was great to see work from artists I knew from before, like Brad Downey, Swoon and Sten&Lex, but also very interesting to see Swedish and Danish artists. I can imagine what an uninteresting place the harbour was before, and how wonderful it is now with all the artworks! The town itself is a typical Danish town, with a pedestrian street and nice, small Danish houses, and some ugly sculptures. But with the new art added the street turns into a treasure chest.
Public art in Køge before Walk This Way
Stickkontakt (S) - covering trees with knitted patches sewn together
Basco5 (DK)
Swoon (US)
Josefine Günschel (D)
Pink Army (DK)
- these pink soldiers are everywhere in town
The gate to the industrial harbour area, covered by Stickkontakt (S)
Tejn (DK)
Papfar (DK)
- flirting with the locals
A cabin showing photos and videos of performances by Brad Downey (US/D) and Akay (S)
Brad Downey (US/D)
- i can just imagine how fun it must have been to make this!
Akay (S)
Sten&Lex (IT)
Knowing how much work it takes to make their art, I was shocked to see this massive wall painted. Impressive.
*
The question is, will this exhibition change the town? Are the inhabitants appreciating the artwork, or is it mostly enjoyed by visitors?
After exiting the museum I came across this man and his son, tearing up the textile covered bench. They did not know that this was an artwork by Stickkontakt. They were stopped and explained that this was a piece of art, and handed a folder of the exhibition.
KØS - museum of art in public spaces
Køge, Denmark
7.5.-18.9.11 www.koes.dk
The KØS museum in Køge town just 45 minutes by train south of Copenhagen has changed the appearance of the town for the summer. During the Walk This Way exhibition they invited Danish and international artists to make their art inside the museum and in the streets and in the harbour of town.
Inside the museum are also videos showing work by several of the artists. This selection is also shown in the video festival "Fokus" at Nikolaj Kunsthal in Copenhagen.
Here are highlights from the museum:
KØS - museum of art in public spaces
Pink installations by Pink Army
Inside the KØS museum
Art by Moss Couture (DK)
Basco5 (DK) and Phucisme (DK/VN)
Phucisme (DK/VN)
- even the toilets are decorated!
Toilet art by Mormor (DK)
Don John (DK)
Pink Army (DK) - with a plan for ending all wars and sending in pink soldiers instead
It is always great to visit a new city and explore the streetart there. Here is what I found in Copenhagen:
Great pasteups by Basco5 (more about him in my next post):
Pasteup faces and figures:
Graffiti and freestyle:
Stickers:
Political:
You have been duplicated
To politicians in Copenhagen: When I walk around in town I see a lot of homeless people. I think it is horrible to see people laying on the street. Can you give them a home and ...
And mysterious dotdotdot has been in Copenhagen as well:
By coincidence (or maybe not?) the symbol is the same as the flag of Freetown Christiania in Copenhagen, only the flag is in red and yellow, symbolising the three dots of the "i's" in Christiania.
Rogaland Art School (KiR)
Commisioned work
at Stavanger University (UiS)
The new student homes at Stavanger University at Ullandhaug are beautified by the 1st year students at Rogaland Art School, Stavanger. The grey concrete and steel buildings have been critisized of being ugly, Sovietish and boring. The students at Rogaland art school were invited to do something about that, and two concepts were chosen by a jury. A knitwork design by Svanhild Haugen and a large X with the text "Contemporary Emergency" by Henning Klungtvedt were chosen. Both designs are in black, thus both contrasting and blending into the buildings. They are working together with their fellow students on the walls for about three weeks.
Contemporary Emergency
Knitwork
In my opinion the buildings are interesting, despite the critics. The strict lines and surfaces in concrete are highlighted with the metal details. A decoration of the buildings chosen after the buildings are built could easily be something that tried to hide the building or make it different. But these designs are enchancing the qualities of the buildings, adding an extra feature. The knitwork pattern is simple, strict and geometrical, but at the same time it gives a warm, cosy feeling. The giant X is provocative and alarming, but at the same time puzzling. What is the contemporary emergency? Is there something we do not know about, should we be alarmed?
work in progress
I am looking forward to when it is finished and the scaffoldings are removed.
SAF lounge
by KAP architects
at Nytorget, Stavanger
summer 2011
KAP architects won of the 75 years' anniversary competition of Stavanger Architects' Union. Their idea, "SAF lounge", is now brought to life in a temporary pavilion at Nytorget. This is an interesting experiment both with working in concrete, and working with public space.
