NNAC – Talks on the Different Guises of Public Art

Welcome to talks on public art!

IASPIS, together with NNAC, organizes an evening of discussion about public art seen through different perspectives: from biennales in the public space and the balance between the local and the international, to managing the uncertainty of public art projects as a curator.

NNAC – Nordic Network for Art Consultancy is a network of art consultants and curators of public art from Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. The network was started by Linda Wallenberg, Project Manager for Public Art at Västerås konstmuseum and Åsa-Viktoria Wihlborg, Founder and CEO of ArtPlatform AB.

Photo: Caitlin E. Littlewood

NNAC at NSFW in Göteborg, 2023

Programme:

5 PM Welcome and introduction by Lena Malm, Head of Visual Arts, IASPIS, Åsa-Viktoria Wihlborg and Linda Wallenberg, initiators of NNAC

5:20 PM Public Art and Biennales in Public Spaces – Uncertainties and Afterlives

Public art is often understood to be everlasting but is not immune to changes. Biennales and public art are perceived as systems of duality: both ephemeral and lasting, local and international, present and future; they meet different expectations, audiences, and goals. But how do artworks and exhibitions come into being in public space? When can they flourish and how do they fail? What is their impact and legacy for the future?

Panel: Per Gunnar Eeg-Tverbakk, curator at the Oslo Municipality Art Collection, Maddie Leach, artist and co-founder The Fountain Project, Lund, and Ioana Leca, artistic director of Göteborg International Biennial for Contemporary Art (GIBCA)

Moderator: Anna Jensen curator, artist, and researcher at Uniarts Helsinki

6 PM Break

6:20 PM Public Art Curation and Uncertainty

Uncertainty is an important component in public art projects. Whether it is dealing with budgets and local politics, or the potential reactions and ramifications of world events, or just giving an artist space and time without knowing exactly what will transpire. How do art consultants navigate patterns of uncertainty? How do we learn to contend with uncertainty and which uncertainties are best avoided?

Panel: Vibeke Christensen, curator at Kulturbyrået Mesén, Oslo, Ann Magnusson CEO of AM Public, Stockholm, Miina Pohjolainen, curator at HAM, Helsinki, Linda Wallenberg, Project manager for Public Art at Västerås konstmuseum, and Åsa-Viktoria Wihlborg, CEO of ArtPlatform AB, Stockholm.

Moderator: Anna Jensen, curator, artist, and researcher at Uniarts Helsinki

7 PM Drinks and snacks