Love comes first

Akram Al Halabi, Tova Berglund, Lukaza Branfman-Verissimo, Mattias Eliasson, Stina Malmqvist, Anni Puolakka & Jaakko Pallasvuo
Performative events: Jens August Lindqvist Cooking Ensemble, Lisa Busby, Natalia Rebelo & Jin Mustafa

Celebrating your birthday is not an easy thing. Even more so when you are turning even numbers. Time suddenly becomes static, palpable—a flowing movement of events condensed into one day. And then when you realise that you have lived as long as Google, which is like forever, it’s actually kind of creepy.

But a life well lived is a life full of trouble. So, let’s celebrate. And what better way to do so than asking new and old friends to give you a present. A season full of gifts, a season of presents.

The first invitation goes out to Alta Art Space in Malmö. Alta Art Space (Julia Selin, Matti Sumari, Stina Malmqvist, André Talborn, Petter Dahlström Persson, Jens August Lindqvist, Ida Persson) is first and foremost a shared studio space, but also an artist run exhibition space. An offbeat venue where artists are invited to present work—a site for experimentation—but also an important social meeting place for the growing artistic community in Malmö. In turn, they give us the exhibition Love comes first introducing us to new acquaintances and artistic voices. An extended act of giving and receiving.

So this is how we are celebrating—a perfect opportunity to shed light on shared intentions and values when it comes to what kind of art world we want to have and be part of. Or, in other words highlight initiatives and colleagues with their hearts in the right place and with a sincere engagement.

And since “Don’t trust anyone over 30” is quite a leitmotif for our times, we have a good ten more years to go before throwing in the towel. 

Cheers to us, we’re turning 20!