Insider Editorial - Select News from the World of Art and Design Summer 2023

The Black Gallery Barn at Kåseholm

Summer is here and we’re highlighting news on exhibitions and design that takes us from South Africa and Peru to the Nordics. We want the summer to last forever but cannot help looking forward to one of our favorite art fairs, CHART in Copenhagen, that kicks off August 25, turning the whole city into a celebration of creativity. We take a close look at CHART Architecture, a competition in which young architects are responding to the theme New European Bauhaus. Art and design are showcased at a stunning estate in the lush landscape of Österlen in Sweden, while lovers of design and architecture are recommended to make a beeline for two art institutions that stand out for both their architecture and excellent programs. Lund based Modernist architect Klas Anshelm is behind both Lunds konsthall and Malmö Konsthall. If traveling in the Nordics, do find room for contemplation at Anna Ling’s exhibition in Lund and look forward to Ingela Ihrman opening in Malmö this autumn. From Peru we highlight artist Miguel Andrade Valdez’s designs for studio Taller Tarapacá.

Artist Cathy Abraham.

Cathy Abrahams Here: the Ghost is Me at Kåseholm Castle
The exhibition showcases Cathy Abraham's series titled Here: the Ghost is Me in which she explores the accumulation of discrete acts, emphasising the importance of repetition and meditation. Each painted mark holds a symbolic significance, with the artist's brushstrokes mirroring her spiritual journey. Through meticulous repetition, Abraham transforms her art into a silent prayer, evoking a sense of unity and expansion. The exhibition highlights the theme of duality, where the artist embraces a symmetrical approach to her work. She uses multiple strokes to create overlapping forms that represent the meeting of opposing sides. 

The exhibition is part of a collaboration between South African gallery THEFOURTH and Kåseholm, launches "Northern Southern Exposure" a project that aims to foster innovation and exchange in various geographies. By bringing together artists and practitioners from around the world, the project encourages the creation of new theories and practices that can empower local communities and promote sustainability. Kåseholm is a historic 17th century estate situated in the lush landscape of Österlen, Scania, just 1,5 hs from Copenhagen airport, where food, art and design engage the senses. The show runs July - August 2023. By appointment. Dowload portfolio.

Ingela Ihrman, A Great Seaweed Day: Tarmtång, 2019. Photo: Helene Toresdotter

Ingela Ihrman in Major Exhibition at Malmö Konsthall
Fall 2023, Malmö Konsthall presents the largest exhibition of the internationally recognized Swedish artist Ingela Ihrman to date. With disarming humor and playfulness, Ingela Ihrman's work tackles questions concerning the conditions of one's own existence. By donning sculptural costumes, fabricated by herself, the artist pretends to be someone else; a giant otter giving birth, a blooming giant water lily, a fig splitting in two. At the same time, the work brings forth the imbalance and the problems that have arisen ever since humans began to distinguish themself as superior to nature. Ihrman has previously participated in, among other things, the Venice Biennale, and is currently on display at The Carl Eldh Studio Museum in Stockholm. The exhibition, which is curated by Mats Stjernstedt, director of Malmö Konsthall, will open on September 29 and run until January 14, 2024.Press information and images here. Find out more about Malmö Konsthall.

Anna Ling, Abyssal, 2023 Archival pigment print 110 x 150 cm. Courtesy the artist. Photo processing Karl Isaksson

Observations of Nature and Time at Lunds konsthall - Anna Ling
A characteristic feature of Anna Ling’s oeuvre is the long series of works, executed in ink on paper where she records her observations of nature with infinite patience and great sensitivity. She also utilises sculptural elements, as in the installation Reefs (2023), which takes as its starting point the death of coral reefs, caused by climate change. Ling's unique ability to share her sensory experience of nature is visible in the large-scale work suite Abyssal (2023), which consists of photographs taken on a summer night where jellyfish under the sea surface appear as shining stars in the dark water. She has noted destructive development, caused by human interventions, but also active measures taken with the purpose to restore the natural order. Anna Ling. Aftermath, until August 27, 2023. Lunds konsthall, Sweden. Press information here.

Anna Ling, Efterdyning/ Aftermath Installation view, Lunds konsthall, 2023. Photo: Olof Nimar

Taller Tarapacá, Sebastian Tapestry/Carpet, design by Miguel Andrade Valdez

Heritage Craft and Contemporary Design from Peru - Taller Tarapacá
Taller Tarapacá’s design has a strong focus on material and craft, combined with clean, architectonic lines and a minimal esthetic. Their design combines heritage craft with contemporary designers. The collection features chairs such as the Silla de Pie by artist Miguel Andrade Valdez and architect Diana Ortega Garagatti, The Edilberto Chair by Ortega Garagatti, together with designer Paula Cermeño León’s Bodegon ceramics and woven carpets designed by Miguel Andrade Valdez. Link to LOOKBOOK

The courtyards of Charlottenborg are dedicated to CHART Architecture and the free public programme.

Finalists Announced for CHART Architecture 2023 
Responding to the theme New European Bauhaus, each team has conceptualised an  architectural project that foregrounds the three principles of sustainability, aesthetics and inclusion, as well as  incorporating elements of universal design. 

The CHART Architecture 2023 Finalists 
Petal by Lasovsky Johansson Architects (Juras Lasovsky and Hanna Johansson) 
Off The Shelf by Anton Boman, Jonathan Lindberg and Matthew Wilson 
Komorebi by Joanna Maria Lesna, Thomas Enee and Miguel Sousa Rebelo 
Ruin by Thomas Røn Jensen, Kathrine Vand and Sebastian Siggaard 
Habitat by Martin Viggo Meincke and Astrid Marie Strandbygaard 

CHART Architecture is a competition inviting teams of emerging architects and architectural  studios to submit proposals for architectural structures to be installed in the iconic courtyards at  Charlottenborg during CHART August  25 – 27 2023. 

CHART Architecture is made possible by the generous support of the philanthropic association Realdania as  well as Københavns Kommune, Dreyers Fond, Beckett-Fonden, FOSS, Bevica Fonden, Polestar and Arup.  CHART are also proud to partner with World Capital of Architecture 2023, BLOX and Dezeen. 

Press information and images here.
Find out more about CHART, the leading event for contemporary art in the Nordic region. CHART brings together dedicated individuals and inspiring professionals to impact the future of the arts community in the Nordics and beyond.

Petal is a playful structure, assembled from simple sun lounge chairs in a cylindrical arrangement, that mirrors the changing appearance of a flower between day and night. During the day, the structure appears “in full bloom” when the sun loungers are opened up to provide access to a 360-degree bar and seating area. At night, the chairs collapse to form a screen for colour or graphic projections.

Off-The-Shelf proposes a new archway inside the courtyards at Charlottenborg building on the principles of compression/release already at play, to create a dramatic and immersive experience for visitors at CHART 2023. Functioning as a meeting point inside the busy courtyard, the structure foregrounds the aesthetics of a baroque palace, but achieves this appearance using “off-the-shelf” materials including corrugated fiberglass sheets and galvanised steel scaffolding standards.

Komorebi is imagined as an inhabited sculpture taking inspiration from Marcel Duchamp’s “Readymade Series.” The project seeks to create using pre-existing material, in line with a more sustainable approach towards thinking and building. The

Ruin plays with the idea of a decayed and cracked column, eagerly awaiting the collapse and destruction of the old world. Barely holding itself together, the structure symbolises the current paradigm shift in architecture, where focus has moved away from economic gain towards principles of sustainability, aesthetics and inclusivity.

Habitat pays homage to historical and universal building materials whilst incorporating a bio habitat into its upper layer, thus welcoming all species to use this structure as a resting place and social environment.

Last but not least. Do let us know if you're curiuos about these projects and make the most of summer wherever it takes you.

If it could only be like this always – always summer, always alone, the fruit always ripe and Aloysius in a good temper...” 
― Evelyn Waugh, Brideshead Revisited