Nini Palavandishvili (Tbilisi, Georgia) and Anna Smolak (Krakow, Poland)
November 2011, Stockholm, Sweden
Artists, theoreticians and practitioners from different disciplines are welcome to collaborate on the project “The Visit”. Moreover: We are looking for the individuals and the families who emigrated to Sweden and setteled down in Stockholm and would be willing to take part in the artistic project.
For BaseCamp Stockholm the two curators, Nini Palavandishvili (Tbilisi, Georgia) and Anna Smolak (Krakow, Poland), would like to extend and develop a project “The Visit”. The project is based on the research of different ethnic, cultural and religious groups living in chosen cities (Tbilisi, Krakow, Stockholm).
“The Visit” is designed as a series of artistic events that will take place in the private spaces of the citizens of different ethnic and national identity residing in Sweden permanently, or temporarily, also illegal immigrants, those who live in guest countries throughout generations as well as contemporary nomads, who are permanently on the move.
The citizen-newcomer and the concept
of private space
The purpose of this project is to discuss the modern identity of the city based on the idea of the citizen-newcomer, as well as to reinterpret the concepts connected with private space and intimacy of living. By attempting to answer what it means for the newcomers to have a private space. Does it mean freedom or quite the opposite – separation? Does home exclude from the broader social context and how may it be influenced by the external factors? We will point to the shifts between “public” and “private” and will draw attention to the problems of the progressing isolation of the private life which leads to erosion and eradication of social relations. By addressing the issues of the legality of the stay the project will also refer to the privacy of the space in the political and legal context.
Contemporary nomads
We would also like to extend our research to a new type of short-term migration which occurs particularly among young people who visit Stockholm without the intention to stay there permanently. For this group the process of absorption and exchange of cultural identities have a different dynamic and is less burdened with the feeling of loss.
Subjective map
The subjective map of the city that will emerge from this project will outline the tension and dynamics around cultural diversity which are a result of political processes and reflect not only the condition of the city but also individuals.
Art outside the institutional context
The aim of this project is also to discuss the concept connected with the rituals of visits and hospitality, the private space and functioning of art outside the institutional context.
We believe that art has the potential to capture the intimate experiences and translate them to universal values. The functioning of the private space is governed by individual ritual. The appearance of the visitor (artist) is also subjected to this ritual. By introducing the artist to the newcomer’s home we would like to see how the roles of the host and guest overlap and transform.
New artworks
The interaction between the artists and the dwellers will lead to the creation of artworks based on family archives, personal stories and visual potential of the living space putting the artist in the position of the storyteller who overcomes language and cultural barriers. We would like to engage in the project not only artists but also theoreticians representing different disciplines to obtain multidimensional picture.
Collaborate with The Visit
For this reason we, curators are looking for artists, theoreticians, sociologists, urbanists, anthropologists, filmmakers, writers who would be interested in working with us on the above mentioned topics.
We are also looking for individuals and families who have immigrated to Stockholm or are staying here for longer period of time and who would be willing to share their story with the audience through an artistic dialogue.
Please contact us
Anna Smolak and Nini Palavandishvili
sthlm.visit@gmail.com
Looking forward to meeting you!
Related links:
GeoAIR
Transkultura
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