SWEDISH ART WEEK 2023 V35-36

SWEDISH ART WEEK 2023 V35-36

Sunday: Cornelis Prize. Hanging out in the VIP room and trying to do some photographic justice to people like Dogge Doggelito, Ulf Dageby, and Louise Hoffsten. Run into media personality Staffan Dopping and photographer Ulrika Campbell among the crowd down by the stage. They seem to make a good couple. But then again, she is a wedding photographer. Jakob Hellman and his band sound surprisingly tight, but perhaps Ulf Dageby’s solo guitar performance is the strongest tonight. After all, he has received 750,000 SEK in Cornelis scholarship, and next year, his classy proggsong ”Hanna från Arlöv” turns 50. Years.

Monday: Jogging in Lill-jansskogen and doing outdoor gym. A bit of physical culture at least.

Tuesday: Having a pep talk with Niklas Palmklint and Emilia Lindberg at Rival. Still thinking about Trippie Redd’s canceled concert the week before. Some artists become more celebrated the less they show up and the worse they behave, and I wonder if he’s an emo version of that. I go to Bonnier Konsthall to see the vernissage of the joint exhibition by Sara-Vide Ericson and Tilda Lovell. They together create landscapes of paintings and installations. Women’s underwear made from dried snake skins grabs attention, as does the large hall with a floor covered in sand. Some visitors crawl around in the sand to gain perspective. I probably shouldn’t, but I associate it with Lucky Luke, Westworld, and Red Dead Redemption, with the theme of survival in a barren land bordering a desert. I wonder if Sara-Vide Ericson’s painted horse is sharper than Karin Broos at Liljevachs. It’s desert-hot and overcrowded in the exhibition hall.

Wednesday: Working on Dagens Opinion and Veckans Brief, no time for anything else. Fast pace. FAST PACE!

Thursday: Same as Wednesday. Miss the vernissage at Wetterlings. Fast pace. FAST PACE!

Friday: Friday evening with a Microsoft Teams meeting with a Colombian on artificial intelligence. The globe is constantly changing. Quite dizzying.

Saturday: A material day, it seems. The magazine Fotosidan’s editor-in-chief, Peter Wiklund, launches his first photo book, ”Ängelen” (the Angel).  He displays photos on sculptures and natural objects printed as cyanotypes dipped in tea. What else?

A different kind of canvas is human skin. It is extensively used at the annual tattoo convention Stockholm Ink Bash. Is it art to print designs, often from templates, on human skin? I’m struck by how peculiar the tattooing subculture seems to be. The atmosphere is as warm as a classic mother’s heart. Visitors are open and cheerful, walking around and showing off their latest artworks to each other. People push kid filled strollers and say hello before they present their rear end for yet another rose branch. Odd. But nice.