The Swedish art scene is in a state of emergency. With huge budget cuts, rules and policies of the unemployment fund, which reflects poorly the reality of the field and the labor market at large in a gig economy. Censorship, instrumentalization, regulations are stifling artistic freedom and the art scene at large. Labour & Movement strives towards artistic freedom and resists the marketization and commercialisation of art. A strong culture and art scene is imperative for a free, diverse and democratic society. It is more urgent than ever that we unite, mobilize and request change. Together! We call on all cultural workers to join forces! We’d like to hear your thoughts about the state of art in our current cultural political climate. Your voice and presence are important to us, the field and the whole culture sector.
Are you, as a cultural worker, affected by political cutbacks within the cultural sector?
Does it affect you economically, psychosocially, or environmentally?
Do you, as a cultural worker, feel like you have artistic freedom or do you feel pressure to create in line with political guidelines and art market trends?
Send us your contributions in any form: a manifest, a love letter to art, questions, statements and concerns to: labourandmovement@gmail.com
The contributions will be distributed through flyers on the day of the manifestation. Later on be published in a fanzine anthology. Hope to hear from you and see you on May 11th!
A collaboration with Weld and SKH
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Linda Blomqvist is based in Stockholm. Her practice oscillates between dance, choreography, performance, curation, text production, publication and teaching. The work aims to expand the notion of choreography with a focus on alternative modes of production, process and practice from a speculative viewpoint taking various forms and expressions. Linda studied dance at The Royal Swedish Ballet School 1995-2004 and at P.A.R.T.S 2008-2010. She’s been working with artists such as Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, Mårten Spångberg, Florentina Holtzinger and Philip Berlin to name a few. Linda initiated and ran Indigo Dance – a platform for dance practitioners together with Emma Daniel, Anna Gaiotti and Adriano Wilfert Jensen between 2013-2016.
Anna Johansson is a visual artist based in Stockholm. She received an MA from the Umeå Academy of Fine Arts 2014. The public space and nature is often represented in her performance and filmmaking. Themes such as rituals, repetitive behavior and questions are recurrent in her practice. She looks at the concept of repetitive behavior from different angles, her religious childhood history, the digital and the military. Anna both directs and takes parts in her performances. She has, among other things, participated in exhibitions as Manifesta 10 on Board from Helsinki to St Petersburg, PS2 Gallery i Belfast, Charlottenborg spring exhibition, Performance på Zoom by Riksförbundet av Sveriges Konstföreningar, performancefestivalen, 13festivalen, Mörby Gård Konst and Bonniers Konsthall. Together with Daniel Torarp she runs the art association Defib Art.
