Fairs
Spotlight Segment: Meet the Curators
With the new 'Spotlight Segment' addition to this year's Affordable Art Fair Stockholm, we catch up with our curators to find out what they're planning for you ahead of the fair.
Alice Left
Tuesday 22 August, 2023
At the very heart of Affordable Art Fair Stockholm is a mission to help more people discover the joy of collecting art, as well as contributing to the city’s art ecosystem and supporting living, independent artists in their careers. Stockholm is a place known for a dynamic art scene and the local’s passion for culture, so when we sat down to discuss what we wanted to highlight in our programming this year, the answer seemed obvious. Our aim is to highlight ideas and concepts that drive contemporary art by exploring new art forms, design innovations and creative expressions from Swedish artists.
So, one of the many new, exciting features we’ve added to our programme at this year’s fair is our ‘Spotlight Segment’, where we focus on current developments and envision future possibilities for art in Sweden.
The past several years have had a profound impact on our day-to-day lives, with many artists creating work that reflects the challenging times we were living through at the start of this decade. In 2021, the war in Ukraine was a dominant theme in the creative world as artists, in particular, vented their sympathy and frustrations in retaliation; as has always been the case with political contexts in art.
As we continue this journey in 2023, we’re excited to explore what’s next for contemporary art in Sweden. What new themes and ideas will emerge in the coming year?
We have invited our Spotlight Segment curators to talk about the ever-evolving art scene in Sweden, and delve into the changes and challenges it faces.
Lauren Johnson
Lauren Johnson is an independent curator and manager of Elk Glade Ranch in the Rocky Mountains. She approaches curating and ranching as a way to practice cross-cultural understanding while living in harmony with nature.
She received her Bachelor’s in Art History at UC Berkeley and attended the Master’s Program in Curating at Stockholm University. Lauren splits her time between Stockholm and Elk Glade in order to further her passion for curating and ranching.
Over to Lauren!
SPOTLIGHT: Sámi Art
The contemporary art scene in Sweden is broad and made up of various individual scenes that are often not integrated. Even amongst galleries, private institutions, museums, artist-run spaces, fairs, art schools and more, there are major differences in terms of those that frequent these spaces and what is shown.
As the curator for the Recent Graduate exhibition at Affordable Art Fair the past several years, I’ve had the opportunity to visit art schools in Umeå, Gothenburg, Malmö and Stockholm. Each city and school had unique themes or expressions that were present in the graduating students’ work. For example, the Malmö Art Academy graduation show included more conceptual work with less focus on materials, whereas the BA and MA graduation show at Konstfack included artwork clearly prioritizing material.
I’m excited that Affordable Art Fair has decided to introduce the ‘Spotlight Segment’ exhibition this year. It’s an ideal opportunity to bring more scenes within contemporary art together.
I’m especially looking forward to the Sámi ‘Spotlight’ exhibition that I’ll be curating this year. The three artists – Inga-Wiktoria Påve, Káren-Ann Huri and Fredrik Prost – are all based in Northern Sweden in the Sápmi region.
Fredrik Prost
Fredrik Prost hails from Viikusjärvi, a small village in the northernmost reaches of Sweden. Currently based in Kiruna, Prost’s artistic journey was deeply influenced by his upbringing in a family of skilled Sami craftsmen. Since the age of 15, he has been engaged in crafting using traditional techniques and tools, producing a range of items from knives and bowls to baskets, drums, and jewelry.
Prost’s craft is characterized by his dedication to achieving a balance between aesthetics and utility. Attention to detail is paramount, with a commitment to upholding the highest quality standards. Employing traditional methods, he works with materials like reindeer skin and sinew to create leather, while wood and horn are sourced from natural environments using traditional practices.
With a decades-long devotion to Sami craftsmanship, Prost’s work has gained recognition in galleries and institutions worldwide, including the National Gallery of Canada and The University of Wisconsin. He has also had a number of exhibitions all over Scandinavia, among them a solo exhibition at the Sameslöjdstiftelsen in connection with his receiving the prestigious Asa Kitok scholarship.
He has also won two first prizes during knife week in Ludvika.
Káren-Ann Huri
Káren-Ann Hurri is a Sámi artist, designer, and cultural worker. She originates from the northern village of Gárásavvon in Sweden’s Sápmi region. As the eldest child in a reindeer herding family, Káren-Ann has developed her skills as a self-taught artist and graphic designer. She is also a politician in the Swedish Sámi Parliament, and she recently completed studies in social entrepreneurship. Currently, she is furthering her education in silversmithing and jewelry design.
Káren-Ann is committed to making a positive social impact through her work; her passion lies in using her creative talents to address societal issues, particularly those concerning Sámi culture and equity.
With her versatile approach, Káren-Ann embodies the Sámi tradition of embracing multiple roles and occupations. She draws inspiration from a favorite quote that emphasizes the potential for transformation and growth: “If oat can become milk, you can become anything.” This reflects her belief in the power of collective creation and collaboration.
Inga-Wiktoria Påve
Inga-Wiktoria Påve is based in Northern Sweden in the municipality of Kiruna. She was brought up in a traditional Sami reindeer herding community and it is from her heritage that she takes her inspiration. Påve is a visual artist and designer whose work expresses the colours and shapes of Sami culture.
Påve holds a dual degree in Education in her native language of Northern Saami and in Art Education from Umeå University (Northern Sweden). She has also studied traditional Sami crafts at Samernas utbildningscentrum in Jokkmokk, Sweden. In 2015, Påve won the Young Artist of the Year Award at the Riddu Riddu Festival in Manndalen, Norway. Since then, she has continued to work as a visual artist and exhibited in notable places in Sweden and Canada.
Together with Sami artist Anders Sunna, she has created a short animated film, entitled Morit Elena Morit, that has been screened at film festivals around the globe, winning awards such as Jane Galssco’s Award for Emerging Artists at the imageNative Film Festival (Toronto, Canada) and Best Sami Short Film at Skábmagovat Film Festival (Inare, Finland).
Sylvia Rynell
Sylvia Rynell has a solid background within art and culture, including operating as the previous Fair Manager for Affordable Art Fair Stockholm, as well as Marketing Director for Wetterling Gallery.
Currently she works as Community Manager at Abundo, a subscription service for cultural experiences. She is also a freelance curator, writer, moderator and co-founded the initiative Gallery Weekend Stockholm together with Artlover Magazine and the Swedish Gallery Association.
Sylvia is passionate about making contemporary art accessible to the general public. Below, she speaks about what she’ll be bringing to our ‘Spotlight Segment’.
SPOTLIGHT: 3D Art
In the past few years, I believe that more and more artists have dared to explore materials, both in the terms of combining traditional materials in a non-traditional way but also by exploring new materials. This has resulted in an exciting trend where material-based, three dimensional works are on the rise within the contemporary Swedish art market.
So, when given the phenomenal opportunity of curating a section of the new Spotlight exhibition at Affordable Art Fair, I immediately knew I wanted to showcase artists whose practices lie within this trend, resulting in an exhibition where five different artists with five unique approaches present the material they are currently working with.
By combining these different materials; the softness of Emma Hasselblad‘s knitted pieces; the sturdiness in the ceramic sculptures of Helena Malm and Emil Österholm; the everlasting feeling of Giulia Cairone‘s paintings on plexi glass; and the fragility of Lisa Hartwig Ericsson‘s glass works; I hope that my booth spotlights the vast creativity that we see amongst artists today working with material-based art.
I also hope to inspire the audience of Affordable Art Fair Stockholm to challenge what art can be and to dare to think beyond two-dimensional works on the wall. I know that they are ready for it!
Konstkompaniet
Konstkompaniet was founded by Jenny Danielsson and Simone Schmid in 2022. They have both been in the industry since the 2000s, working at established art galleries in Stockholm, curating exhibitions, writing about art and helping private individuals with art purchases. During the pandemic, a great desire to run a business together crystallized, and Konstkompaniet was born.
Located in the heart of Stockholm, Konstkompaniet focuses on contemporary art, with a vision to enrich more people’s lives with first-class works of art that last over time. The pieces they offer are aimed at everyone who is curious about art, both first-time buyers and seasoned art collectors.
Jenny and Simone’s multifaceted, broad and deep knowledge of art, and their desire to create a hub for everything related to contemporary art, mean that their business covers everything from setting up exhibitions, to providing advice to private individuals and companies, to developing concepts for public environment.
Let’s see what they will bring to Affordable Art Fair and find out about their take on the Swedish art scene!
SPOTLIGHT: Handens arbete
In an age when much is about digitization, art is an area where craftsmanship and technical know-how are still of crucial importance. Handcrafting is, among other things, a unique, time-consuming process which separates art from design and other aesthetic expressions.
Work that has been handcrafted shows a uniqueness and a distinctiveness that are rarely found in mass-produced pieces.
The work of the artists we choose to present is rooted in strong traditions within art and craftsmanship.
Their art is characterised by their solid knowledge of various techniques, while their skill is the starting point from where their contemporary expressions develop and flourish.
The pieces we will showcase come to life through a connection between mind and hand; our artists never back away from experimenting with a new type of technique, or from exploring the current issues of our time.
Swedish art is rooted in painting and sculpture, in strong traditions that also characterize younger artists. Not infrequently inspiration is drawn from nature, which is often also seen in the choice of motifs and colour palette.
The tradition of publicly funding art generates a good foundation for many artists, and if you know where to look, there are many really good Swedish artists! Unfortunately, their art rarely reaches a wider public.
The Swedish art scene is actually rarely referred to, but the truth is that in many places there is a strong and lively local art scene, which is often driven by the artists themselves.
A commercial art scene with an international connection can be found in Stockholm; art comes in different formats and price ranges, but generally you can get a lot of quality for the money. Compared to the international market, Swedish art is incredibly affordable!
Take a look at some of our spotlight recommendations ahead of the fair:
Come find the spotlight booths at Affordable Art Fair Stockholm on 5 – 8 October 2023 and chat to our curators about the future of contemporary art in Sweden.
Book your tickets to Affordable Art Fair Stockholm now!