Tuesday, March 22, 2011

OUUNPO - Belgrade



URGENCY Vs LEISURE

March 24th-27th, 2011



"That is all very senseless, but this senselessness has a pretty mouth, and it smiles"

"With all my ideas and follies I could one day found a corporate company
for the propagation of beautiful but unreliable imagining"

"Exceptional estimable, good, nice, dear people they all were but they all, unluckily,
kept asking me about the new novel, and that was excruciating"

Robert Walser



Are you fed up with your job and you feel you deserve a vacation? Do you suspect that in moments of relaxed leisure/pleasure you are more creative and your brain performs better than when you strain it for your work? If your answer is positive, join us in Belgrade, where we will gather our neurons for an intellectual party in the true fashion of every Ouunpo meeting!
Our gathering will take place this time in Belgrade, capital of the former Yugoslavia, a fun city not far from the leisurely coast of the Adriatic sea. The topic ”Urgency Vs Leisure” will of course resonate in relation to the local context, the geo-political history of the Balcans and to the actual revolutions and emerging crises of democracy in Europe and in the word.


But our gathering will be also an occasion to reflect on the nature of our nomadic artistic community. Perhaps the trajectory of Ouunpo has reached a point where we together need to stop and reflect on its democratic/anarchic nature in order to develop our shared future directions without necessarily fixating them. What did we achieve during our past meetings and which path we are now pursuing? What can still be shared between us and in which form?
Can we still find, in the rush of cultural production, the space/time to think freely, to make complex work of art, to engage in human relationships and to deeply commit to a personal or common project?

The activities of Ouunpo have often focused on performance; in Amsterdam and Nijmegen, this has come to the forefront, this is why we will also theoretically reflect on performing art, both intended as a liberating and revolutionary experience and as a form of immaterial labor that reveals itself to be particularly productive in the context of neo-liberalism.
Theses and other subjects will be developed in dialogue with the curatorial collective TkH (Walking theory) who will present their theoretical magazine on performance and their projet ”Deschooling classroom” inspired by the critical ideas on education of Ivan Illich, and during meetings with various Belgrade-based curators and artists. We will work and reflect about the upcoming Ouunpo Report and we will also enjoy performances and happenings taking place in museums and other public and private spaces in town.
Please follow the developments here. We look very much forward to seeing you very soon!



Program
March 24:
Day of arrival. Getting to the Hotel Prag and visit the city.
10 am : Symposium on political performance at European center for culture and debate GRAD. Address : Braće Krsmanović 4, 11000 Belgrade.
Joint dinner.

March 25:
10 am : Visit to the Museum of Yugoslav history (25th May Museum) and Elena Nemkova’s performance.
2.30 to 4 pm: Visit to the Cultural center Rex and meet Nebojsha Milikic with presentation of invited guests Ana Nikitovic, Ivan Grubanov, Marko Stamenkovic, Isidora Ficovic, Ivan Zulic.
4.30 to 6 pm: Visit to the Museum of Nikola Tesla and performance by Fatos Ustek and Per Huttner.
8 pm: Joint dinner at Dačo Restaurant. Address : Patrisa Lumumbe 49, 11000 Belgrade.
March 26:
10 am : meeting with TkH (Walking theory) and presentation of their projects. Working on the OuUnPo Report.
3 to 5 pm : Visit of the Ethnographic museum and performance by Jacopo Miliani.
6 pm : Meditation class by Stephen Whitmarsh.
7 pm : Party at Maja Ciric’s house and sound performance by Samon Takahashi.
March 27:
departure

The Project is supported by Linköpings Universitet and The Swedish Institute in Stockholm.


Saturday, March 19, 2011

Don't miss

(In)Visible Dialogues

Fredsgatan 12, Stockholm, Sweden - Sunday March 20


in dialogue:

Sandra Masur, Ph.D, Professor, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Department of Ophthalmology, New York, USA

and
...
Laurent Devèze, Philosopher, Art Critic and Director of École Régional de Beaux Arts, Besançon, France

Probing the Boundaries of Talent.

The previous two dialogues are online on:

here

and

here

(In)Visible Dialogues is neither art nor science, but a platform for both fields to meet in harmony as well as friction. It brings together leading specialists from the two disciplines from Europe, Asia, Australia and USA to dialogue about life and the boundaries of reality. (In)Visible Dialogues was initiated by artist Per Hüttner and Elias Arnér, professor in biochemistry at Karolinska Institutet in close collaboration with graphic designersÅ…bäke in London and a group of international sound artists. The project is a continuation of Begrepp - en Samling (Concepts a Collection) that was realized by the two former in 1992 at the same location.


When you enter (In)Visible Dialogues you will see 120 fluorescent chairs facing a blank wall. On the back of each chair a copy of the project's 240 page catalogue has been nailed and signed by an central person in Stockholm's scientific community. The chair is a version of Jonas Bohlin's design classic Concrete which has been customized by Å…bäke. The side rooms remain empty apart from a solitary lectern painted in the same colour as the chairs and which is connected to speakers that emit strange sounds.



Participating sound artists: Andy Cox and Richard Allalouf, Natalia Kamia, Samon Takahashi, Ebbot Lundberg and Yan June

(In)Visible Dialogues is supported by: Karolinska Institutet; Linköpings Universitet; Vision Forum; Ragnar Söderbergs Stiftelse; Sven och Dagmar Saléns Stiftelse; Akademien för de Fria Konsterna, Göran Lagervalls stiftelse and Statens kulturråd.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Line by Line - in Stockholm

Line by Line


Opening reception: Thursday, March 17, 18.00 ‒21.00

March 17‒31, 2011


Lumaparksvägen 7, Hammarby Sjöstad


Line is more than just a mark on paper—it is an exhibition.


There is only one direction to travel this spring—Hammarby Sjöstad! Twelve exceptional artists and designers working in different parts of Sweden will present their creations in a unique atmosphere unlike anything seen before. Participants include; Petra Lilja and Jenny Nordberg (of Apokalyps Labotek); Matilda Nordgård and Partrik Nilsson (of Argue Design); Beatrice Hansson, Eva Marklund, Helene Hortlund, Kristina Matousch, Mako Ishizuka, Maria Zetterstrand, Markus Degerman and Vivian Chan.

These individuals are diverse in practice, but have been united under the most fundamental element of design—line—which forms a visual language of expression used by artists, designers and craftsmen alike. Together, the essence of their works reveals how line is continuously present in our everyday lives through some form or another; from the first scribbles of a child to the organization of society through time, transportation and even virtual communication.
Calling to mind sketches on a piece of paper, Helene Hortlund’s works Unknown Territory (2008) and Rumsteckningar (2001) outline three-dimensional sculptures which elegantly stretch from floor to ceiling. The award-winning design group Apokalyps Labotek directs the eyes downward to Parquet (2009), a geometrical floor pattern specially made from old tires. Set against the magnificent view overlooking Hammarby Sjö, the drawings of Mako Ishizuka capture the constructed, man-made lines of different cities as demonstrated by Bird’s View of the World, in Paris (2008-10). During the opening, a special performance titled Lök, will be presented by the artist duo Made in Sweden. Lök merges the borders of art, craft and theater to question how two individuals with completely different backgrounds can face the exact same problem when trying to assimilate into one culture. The following week on Thursday, March 24, featured speaker Markus Degerman will present an overview of his company UglyCute which brings together various aspects of art, architecture and design.

Curators Anne Klontz and Nicolas de Tassigny are excited to collaborate with the artists in the space of the exhibition, which is a 1200 m2 raw factory; incredibly rare to find within the frameworks of the Stockholm art world. The space has been a true source of inspiration for everyone involved in the event’s creation and now Stockholmers are encouraged to walk the line and take part in the atmosphere of its creativity.

Line by Line is curated by Anne Klontz (anneklontz(at)gmail.com) and Nicolas de Tassigny (nicolasdetassigny(at)hotmail.com).

The performance Lök will be featured during the opening event on Thursday, March 17 from 19.30.

The presentation by Markus Degerman is Thursday, March 24 and will begin 18.30.
Doors open at 18.00.

The event is sponsored by Fabege, Vision Forum, Absolut Vodaka Sweden, Dynaprint AB.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

The Invisible Generation publication release in Stockholm, March 8

Vision Forum proudly presents its first major publication the Invisible Generation and invites you to a discussion on performance art in the public space.

Gerrie van Noord (editor, London), Marie Proyart (designer, Paris), Per Hüttner (artist, Paris), Olav Westphalen (artist, Stockholm) Alessandra Sandrolini (curator, Paris and Bologna), Natasha Rosling (artist, London) Klas Eriksson (artist, Stockholm) and Stephen Whitmarsh (researcher, Nijmegen) moderated by Hanna Hannerz (producer, Norrköping).


Program
18.30 Round table discussion on performance in public spaces and the art publication as mediator of artistic content, moderated by Hanna Hannerz.
20.00 Klas Eriksson performance “No one likes us - we don’t care”

The Invisible Generation was a project that focused on non-announced performances taking place in the public and it involved over 30 artists from a dozen countries. The project took its starting point from a series of performative instructions by William S. Burroughs and was curated by Per Hüttner, Yulia Usova and Daniele Balit and took place in Melbourne, Beijing, Shenzhen and Kiev in 2009-10.

Editor Gerrie van Noord has together with graphic designer Marie Proyart tried to convey and translate the performative aspect of the project into the publication which she refers to as a non-catalogue. The group will together discuss how art publications can mediate artwork in a more create ways.

At Knast bar, Upplandsgatan 7, Stockholm , Sweden; 8 March, 6.30pm. Free admission