Degree exhibition 2022: Nourishment for Peace and Freedom

When conflict and violence cast their shadow over the world, every artistic expression is inherently an element of resistance to authoritarian rule, war and oppression. Arts, crafts, design, visual arts and sloyd education manifest freedom of expression by permitting fantasy, expressing emotions and ideas and creating dialogue. This is fundamental in a world in which the number of democratic nations is decreasing. It is with pride and respect for artistic freedom that Konstfack throws its doors open and exhibits the works of 188 degree students—our contribution to the open society of which we are a part. Here, the separate parts come together to create a whole; a rainbow that spans issues and subjects at all stages of life. Invention, beauty, criticism, dystopias, consolation, contemplation, deep insights and exuberant humour nourish our lives and the peace and freedom we so eagerly cherish. —Maria Lantz, Konstfack’s Vice Chancellor

This year’s degree exhibition is divided in two; one for the bachelor’s students May 7–13 and the other for master’s and teacher education students, May 21–27.

The bachelor’s students’ degree exhibition is curated by Anne Klontz, head of exhibitions at Konstfack and freelance curator. Klontz explains, “A photograph from the early 1900s is the starting point of the bachelor’s degree exhibition. In this image, there is a presentation of students’ works and in the middle of this scene, there is a label with bold letters reading ‘Compositions’. What is a composition? A composition is the sum of its parts so to speak. At Konstfack, there are various compositions in progress happening within the spaces of the studios and workshops, compositions that are taking form through the digital and material as well as through the senses of sight, smell and sound. All of these aspects become fine-tuned and reflected in each student’s project—it is the graduates who are the necessary elements that comprise the unified, ‘Composition’ of the 2022 bachelor’s degree exhibition.”

The master’s and teacher education students’ degree exhibition 2022 is curated by Konstfack’s curatorial course for professionals—CuratorLab. Inspired by feminist writer and independent scholar Sara Ahmed’s Queer Phenomenology, CuratorLab invites audiences to participate in a symbolic, emotional and physical reorientation that shifts the architectural, departmental, and social premises of the school. Within the exhibition sits the Dialogical Space, offering a shared room for conversation, performativity and exchange. Questions about finding new ways to (re)orient ourselves that challenge the hierarchies of power ­are asked with the ambition to create new thoughts and strategies for care. The exhibition as a whole manifests a continuous negotiation between the individual, the collective, and the institution; a recurring challenge of curatorial work.

The CuratorLab 2021/22 participants are: Chen Shuyu (Malmö/Beijing), Una Mathiesen Gjerde (Oslo), Lovro Japundžić (Zagreb), Lauren Johnson (Stockholm/Elk Glade, Colorado), Matilda Kästel (Stockholm), Lina Louisa Krämer (Berlin), Martin Ku (Berlin), Reyhaneh Mirjahani (Gothenburg/Tehran), Res (Stockholm/Brooklyn), Eleni Riga (Athens), Marta Świetlik (Warsaw), Krisztián Gábor Török (Budapest), under the guidance of Program Director Joanna Warsza (Berlin) and Head of Exhibitions Anne Klontz (Stockholm) and with the help of the Curatorial Assistant Vasco Forconi (Rome/Stockholm).

The visual concept for Konstfack’s degree exhibition 2022 is designed by Benedetta Crippa, a Konstfack alumna and design director with a practice in Stockholm. The concept revolves around a ray of light that forms a visual landscape where we can celebrate and re-orient. It is also a celebration of the ability of the human mind to stay fertile and resilient in spite of the unexpected in life. Through bold colours and a strong visual expression, the identity radiates through the public space, and invites to experience the celebration.

Contact: Anne Klontz, Head of Exhibitions, anne.klontz@konstfack.se.

Konstfack University of Arts, Crafts and Design is Sweden’s largest university for arts, crafts and design. Since 1844, we have educated a diverse range of professionals within these fields as well as art and sloyd teachers. We conduct both artistic and scientific education/research and currently have 900 students and 200 employees.