Delcy Morelos – Inre jord / Annika Dahlsten & Markku Laakso – Diorama EN

ENGLISH

DELCY MORELOS Inner Earth

ANNIKA DAHLSTEN & MARKKU LAAKSO Diorama

#rรถdastenkonsthall 24 February - 15 April 2018 www.rodastenkonsthall.se

DELCY MORELOS Inner Earth

10 February - 15 April 2018 Curator Mariangela Méndez Prencke This soil is black as the color of mourning, black as a shadow, black as the darkness of what we fear, of what we sweep out of our sight. But the blackness of this soil stems also from all the colors that has been blended in and absorbed, stems from the richness and the potency of that which is fertile. Since ancient times, soil has for humans been a sacred element rendering mother earth as the source of life.

Initially a painter, Delcy Morelos has chosen to work with soil to create a grand field of colour. The title Inner Earth relates to what we are made of, as for Morelos the materiality of painting becomes a metaphor for the composition of the body itself: “I am living earth, creative, fertile, vital.

Soil is the origin, the base, the common ground; ancestral and revered since it is a fundamental principle of our exchange with life. In fact, the soil is the skin of the earth, when stripped of its vegetative layer, the landscape looks naked, bare, it shows its colour.”

Morelos, of indigenous Embera background, grew up in Córdoba, one of the areas most impacted by paramilitary confrontations in the late twentieth century in Colombia. This exposure to strife and violence has been channelled into her work through an exploration of different tones of red, from the palest blush to the darkest brown. Thus, for Morelos, colour is not only a characteristic of painting, but a cultural construction. It is the colour of the skin that we embrace or reject, the colour of the fertile ground or of the wasteland. Just as it also is the colour of the soil where the roots of violence prosper; an awareness acutely present in her work.

In Inner Earth, Morelos takes distance from the classical ideal of representing the body from outside. We might even intuit the presence of sweat and blood in this horizontal body, closely related to landscape. A landscape painfully exposed to remind us of that primal need to link all living with a place of origin, of belonging.

– Mariangela Méndez Prencke

About the artist Delcy Morelos (Tierra Alta, Colombia, 1967) is one of the most recognized Colombian artists of her generation. She has exhibited her work since 1990 in Colombia and abroad (USA, France, Sweden, Norway, Cuba, Mexico, Finland, Ireland, Morocco, Australia). Has done many artist residencies and has participated in the Mercosul Biennial, ARS Finland, the Cuenca Biennial, and the Havana Biennial among others. Her work puts the emphasis in the contemplation of a material, its corporeality, to reveal the wide implications of a hegemonic politics of colour. She lives and works in Bogotá.

Works in the exhibition: Tierra Adentro/Inner Earth, 2018 Installation with soil, glue and water

“The earth is both the stage and the protagonists of myths, history, origin and present” – Delcy Morelos

ANNIKA DAHLSTEN & MARKKU LAAKSO Diorama

10 February - 15 April 2018 Curator Mariangela Méndez Prencke From the 1860s to the 1930s, “Human zoos”, were a popular spectacle across Europe. The shows where an impressive mix of scientific claims and popular entertainment, with performers, stage sets, dresses, and storylines, where indigenous peoples, and those categorized as “exotic”, were exhibited as “savages in a natural state”. These forms of display of human beings were specific to colonial powers of the West, and were thought of as “a parade of evolutionary progress”, aimed at contrasting the “primitives” with western “civilization”.

The displays were often the first encounter between those who were exhibited and those looking at them. They served to reaffirm a hierarchy between people, through such categories as skin color and concepts like specimen, savage, native… creating a divide between so called superior and inferior, civilized and savages human beings. The 19th century’s ethnographic and anthropological photography was also critically related to these forms of exhibitions, as it was understood as a tool to record for posterity, the ways-of-life of the “savage” and ”primitive” peoples assumed doomed to extinction.

Through photographs, animations and video works, Annika Dahlsten & Markku Laakso have articulated and documented a journey from Finnish Lapland, via Germany, to southern Africa. This expedition, which began with the family’s photo album, realised their desire to restage and re-visit Laakso’s great-grandparents experience. Simoni and Ella-Stiina Laakso where exhibited as “Sami” to a European audience, starting at Hamburg Zoo in 1930. The resulting images juxtapose the historical narrative of the ancestors with new encounters staged in a variety of landscapes from arctic to tropic. The works speak of degrees of belonging and of shifting or unstable identities, further accentuated by their choice of clothing in each image. They are photographed wearing both, inherited and self-made Sami dresses, as well as tailor-made dresses with a Namibian patterned fabric.

Sami culture is a part of Laakso’s heritage; defining his Sami identity has been an extensive long process. His partner in this project, Annika, is not Sami, but belongs to the Swedish-speaking minority in Finland, a background joining additional perspectives to the topic. The performative nature of these works question notions of authenticity: Who - and where and when - has the right to define what is real, true and original? They comment on the legacies of colonialism and its forms of exclusion still present in our society. When equating the works with scientific displays or museum dioramas, they assert the right to selfdefinition.

Dahlsten & Laakso - Melancholia (2016)

– Mariangela Méndez Prencke

The story of my family My father would often tell me stories of his grandfather who was once exhibited in a zoo. There wasn’t much in the way of evidence: just two photographs and obscure stories of living in a zoo.

As I got older, I decided to look into this aspect of my family’s history.

Keeping written records was not something my family had ever done, and the stories that had been passed on were quite inaccurate. I never met my Sámi grandmother, Olga Alina, as she passed away before I was born. I had a copy of an anniversary edition of Lapin Kansa newspaper from December 1998. It featured a photograph of Sámi people at Hagenbeck Zoo in Hamburg, taken in 1928. My father’s grandparents, Simoni and Ella- Stiina Laakso, are in the photo, along with their youngest son Veikko, my great-uncle. I called the man from Raattama who had submitted the photograph to the newspaper. He said relatives of his were part of two caravans, in 1928 and 1930.

Dahlsten & Laakso - Jump in Diorama series: Hagenbeck Zoo, Hamburg, (Germany), 2013

I decided to work with Annika to find more information on human zoos and Sámi caravans. We found a lot of research on human exhibitions, and gradually began to understand the role Sámi people played in them.

The subject has only been studied to a relatively small extent in Finland.

More research has been done in Norway. We put together tidbits of information to flesh out the story of my family.

An interesting aspect of the human exhibitions is that the criteria for the authenticity of the participants were determined by the German organisers. Not all Sámi people who wanted in were accepted, while some ethnic Finns living in Lapland were also included. I don’t know whether my paternal great-grandfather Simoni Laakso identified himself more as a Sámi or a Finn.

Some of the texts we found suggest that Jooseppi Niila Magga, the father of my grandmother Olga, was part of the same caravan as Simoni and Ella-Stiina. This is certainly possible, as many different families from Enontekiö were part of the caravan. Information between different sources varies on when exactly the Laakso family joined the caravan. The most reliable source suggeststhat it was in 1930.

How can you verify your own family history when those who had the knowledge are no longer with us, and nothing was written down? What were the human exhibitions like? How did they pass their days? What was it like to spend nights in a zoo? What was the audience members’ attitude towards the performers? What happened during their travels?

We will never have answers to these questions. We can only imagine what it might have been like to participate in a living diorama.

– Markku Laakso

The history of human exhibitions Human exhibitions were part of the growing interest among Europeans in foreign countries and cultures. In the 1800s, colonialism made Europeans more familiar with exotic animals, goods and people. Private and public zoos were established across Europe and America. German wildlife trader Carl Hagenbeck decided to expand his business and began organising human exhibitions. Ethnological exhibitions featuring exotic tribes along with animals formed the basis for the ethnographic displays at world expositions.

More entertainment-oriented exhibitions had already been put together previously, such as in London at the beginning of the 1800s, and even earlier, various freak shows and circuses had toured Europe with exhibitions of “Hottentots” or “snow-eating Sámi folk”.

Carl Hagenbeck’s ethnological exhibitions were of a different ilk. They were intended to give the audience a more scientific perspective by creating “a true copy of natural life”. Zoos provided a natural setting for these anthropological exhibitions, allowing animals and native people from the same continent to be displayed side by side.

In addition to Sámi people, the human exhibitions also featured groups such as African tribespeople and Inuits. At least 30 Sámi groups, complete with their reindeer, toured Europe from the 1870s all the way until the 1950s. Audience members could even touch the props and performers. The human exhibitions became a colossal outdoor panorama, with the audience moving through a live action scene.

For the Sámi people themselves, the caravans were not only a way to earn an income, but also an opportunity to learn about foreign cultures and see other parts of the world. They went on the travelling exhibitions voluntarily, unlike the representatives of the native peoples of many colonialized countries, who were brought along by force and practically held captive. As race theories became embroiled in crises, the human exhibitions diminished in popularity. Hagenbeck’s own theme park of people and animals became a normal zoo.

Sámi caravans The best-known Finnish Sámi caravans took place in 1910, 1925 and 1930. Simoni and Ella- Stiina Laakso most likely participated in the 1930 caravan. The caravan was put together by Franz Dubbick, a German painter who once lived in Enontekiö. The group consisted of 31 Sámi people from Kautokeino in Norway, Hetta in Finland, and Kaaresuvanto in Sweden.

Their adventure began at the end of March. They brought along 52 reindeer, and tour leader Dubbick also purchased tools and handicrafts in Hetta to sell in Germany. The caravan travelled to Helsinki by train and then took a ship to Königsberg (known today as Kaliningrad). The group performed in their first exhibitions at Königsberg Zoo. They continued by train through Poland to Germany, where further exhibitions were held in cities including Berlin, Dresden and Leipzig. The Central European scenery was a source of great wonder for the travellers from the North.

“There were fields everywhere. It was all flat, like an in land sea, or a pancake”, was how Daniel M. Hætta, one of the participants, described the landscape. In late summer, the group arrived in Munich, where they stayed until the Oktoberfest beer festival. The exhibition attracted a great deal of interest at the festival. The caravan returned home in December 1930, after being on the road for more than eight months. One participant, a young Sámi girl from Norway, became ill with tuberculosis and passed away during the trip. Half of the reindeer died of excessive heat, and all of the travelling party’s dogs also failed to survive the tour.

At the zoos, the public got to know more about the life of the Sámi people and walk around a village of huts built for the exhibition. The Sámi people sold handicrafts and photos of themselves. In the afternoons, the group performed a two-hour show titled “a Sámi wedding”. The bride and the groom wore their Sunday best, and the wedding party paraded around the village.

The programme also included reindeer lassoing demonstrations, sleigh rides and joik singing. The Sámi performers received monetary compensation for their work equal to the monthly pay of a labourer.

They had plenty of free time and were allowed to move around freely and sit around in beer houses without supervision. The political climate in Germany was already changing, and the travellers learned a few words of the local language and could even read local newspapers.

The caravan provided a wide variety of experiences for the participants.

For many, the primary motivation was to travel and see the world, while others focused on the monetary side of things and saw the caravan as a work trip.

Hætta, Odd Mathis 2007: ”Samer på utstillning i Tyskland 1930.” Ottar 4/2007.

Lehtola, Veli-Pekka 2009: ”Lappalaiskaravaanit harhateillä, kulttuurilähettiläät kiertueella? Saamelaiset Euroopan näyttämöillä ja eläintarhoissa.” Faravid 33/2009.

Parkkinen, Jukka 2003: Yrjö Kokko – sadun ja luonnon runoilija. Helsingfors: WSOY. Rothfels, Nigel 2002: Savages and Beasts. The Birth of the Modern Zoo. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press.

About the artists Annika Dahlsten (1975, Vasa) & Markku Laakso (1970, Enontekiö) are an artist-duo interested in exploring and revising historic representations of otherness. Together they have exhibited their joint projects since 2011 in Reykjavik, Karasjok, Oslo, Medellín, Rauma, Turku and Helsinki among others. They have done artist residencies in South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Finland and Iceland. In addition to working as a duo, Annika Dahlsten works as an animator and printmaker while Markku Laakso is known for his series of realistic paintings. They live and work in Turku, Finland.

Works in the exhibition: Diorama, 2016 HD Video Duration: 60 min.

Campfire in the Zoo, 2011 Video animation, subtitled in English Duration: 4.54 min.

Jump in Diorama Series, 2010 - 2016 C-print on dibond Edition 1/5 + 2 ap 1. Signal Hill, Cape Town (South Africa), 2010 2. Hagenbeck Zoo, Hamburg (Germany), 2013 3. Koskivuononvaara, Inari (Finland), 2011 4. Fish Factory, Nkurenkuru (Namibia), 2013 5. Siida, Inari, (Finland), 2013 6. Siida, Inari II, (Finland), 2013 7. Kellostapuli, Ylläs, (Finland), 2011 8. On the hills of Lokuthula (Zimbabwe), 2013 9. Attitude, Katutura (Namibia), 2013 10. Okaukuejo Riviera (Namibia), 2013 11. Mustajänka, Koppelo II (Finland), 2013 12. Peukolojärvi, Inari (Finland), 2011 13. Koppelo, Inari (Finland), 2013 14. Kaunispää, Inari (Finland), 2013 15. Siida, Inari III (Finland), 2013 16. Lokuthula (Zimbabwe), 2013 17. Senyati (Botswana), 2013 18. Kalleiy’s Family, Nkurenkuru (Namibia), 2013

19. Paljakka, Inari (Finland) 2013 20. Forest Fall, Skógafoss (Iceland), 2016 21. Northern Pastoral, Skogar (Iceland), 2016 22. Melancholy, Eldhraun (Iceland), 2016 23. Etosha Pan (Namibia), 2013 24. Swakopmund I (Namibia), 2010 25. The Break, Koppelo (Finland), 2013 26. By the fire, Koppelo (Finland), 2013 27. Hagenbeck´s Lion, Hamburg (Germany), 2013 28. Devil’s Cataract, Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe/Zambia), 2014 29. Gates of Hagenbeck, Hamburg (Germany), 2013 30. In the Tree of Mbongi, Nkurenkuru (Namibia), 2013

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PROGRAM LECTURES AND TALKS War and Monuments: Colombia’s Peaceful Art Wednesday, 28 February, 6-7 pm After a long fifty-year period of active war between the Colombian State and a guerrilla group, a peace process has been signed, and peace achieved in certain areas of the country, under certain conditions. By examining art gestures done by Colombian artists, Lucas Ospina, professor at the Andes University, will construct a critical narrative to show art’s contingencies; its works, its failures, its limits.

The lecture will be in English.

In collaboration with Folkuniversitetet.

Two Reflections by Cecilia Sjöström and Henry Ascher Sunday, 11 March, 3-5 pm Cecilia Sjöholm and Henry Ascher give two personal reflections on the exhibitions Inner Earth and Diorama. An intriguing and personal conversation between two people with different experiences and interests.

Cecilia Sjöholm is professor of Aesthetics at Södertörn University.

Her research is particularly focused on the relation between art and politics in contemporary culture. She has published extensively on art, psychoanalysis and critical theory. Her latest book, Doing Aesthetics with Arendt; How to See Things, looks at the way in which Hannah Arendt’s reflections on art and aesthetics invite us to re-think her political concepts.

Henry Ascher is a Professor and Specialized Physician at Department of Public Health and Community Medicine at Gothenburg University.

He’s been working with the health of refugees during the last 20 years with a special focus on children and families. His research addresses asylum seeking children, undocumented immigrants and human rights.

Additionally, he’s a member of Jews for an Israeli-Palestinian peace (JIPF), has worked as a doctor in Palestinian refugee camps and participated in Ship to Gaza.

In collaboration with Folkuniversitetet.

Show Colour: Contemporary Art from Sápmi Wednesday, 1 March, 6 pm A lecture on language, land, identity and resistance through the arts. JanErik Lundström presents his reflections on chosen contemporary artists from Sápmi. Lundström is a curator, critic and historian of contemporary art and photography. He is the Director of the Sami Center of Contemporary Art and the former Director of Bildmuseet, Fotografiska museet and Norrbottens Museum. He has curated a large number of exhibitions and biennials. He is the author and editor of many books, including Thinking Photography – Using Photography, Contemporary Sami Art and Design, Nordic Landscapes, Tankar om fotografi, Ursula Biemann: Mission Reports, and Irving Penn: Photographs.

SLOW ART DAYS Visitors to art exhibition spend on average 15-20 seconds in front of a work of art – but is this enough to understand and appreciate the work?

We would like to invite you to experience what happens when you look slowly – welcome to Slow Art Days.

The format is simple, we look in silence at a chosen work in the exhibition. Directly after, we will gather over a cup of tea to talk about the experience and what we’ve seen. Röda Sten Konsthall is arranging Slow Art Days as a pause from the stresses of everyday life and to make space in our unique exhibition hall for contemplation and tranquility.

Regardless your previous experience or knowledge you have of art, here we will collectively give a work of art the time it deserves.

Sign up to one of our four Slow Art Days by sending an email to es@rodastenkonsthall.se We need your registration the day before the event.

Limited space available.

Saturday, 3 March, 11 am-12 noon, Wednesday, 7 March, 6-7 pm Wednesday, 28 March, 6-7 pm, Saturday, 14 April, 11 am-12 noon Slow Art Day is on Saturday. 14 April. Museums, galleries and art centers around the world arrange events that encourages the public to look at art slowly. The goal is both to give time for reflection and for relaxation, tranquility and meditation. www.slowartday.com.

GUIDED TOURS Guided Tours with the Curator Join us for a guided tour with our Curator Mariangela Méndez Prencke.

Two tours will be in English and one in Spanish.

Wednesday, 21 February, 6-7 pm (English) Wednesday, 28 February, 5-6 pm (Spanish) Wednesday, 11 April, 6-7 pm (English) Guided Tours Saturdays, 4-5 pm Every Saturday you can join our art educators for a guided tour through the exhibitions. You don’t need to register before hand – just turn up.

CREATIVE WORKSHOPS The Saturday Workshop Saturdays, 12 noon-3.30 pm Do you like to create, build, experiment or explore with color and form?

Then the Saturday Workshop is perfect for you! Here children and adults create together, side by side. We use the current exhibition as inspiration and try out different themes and materials. For kids from 3 years and up, together with an adult friend.

Drop In. Included in the admission or free if you’re a member.

Graffiti Tuesdays Tuesdays, 5.30-8 pm Free creative workshop for those between 12-26 years old who are interested in street art, graffiti or art in general. We provide “fika” during every session!

Drop in if you’re between the ages 12 and 25. No admission.

The Wednesday Group Wednesdays, 5.30-8 pm Here you will find loads of inspiration for your own creativity and will have the opportunity to meet like-minded people. Together we will try using different techniques and themes to explore and express ideas through art. We provide “fika” at each workshop!

Sign up at the beginning of every term. No admission.

Weekend Workshops Saturdays and Sundays, 12 noon-5 pm During the weekends, Young & Creative organizes workshops with various themes and techniques! No previous experience needed. The same workshop is held both days and it is always free to participate.

Drop in if you’re between ages 12 and 25. No admission.

Workshops During School Breaks During the school holidays Röda Sten Konsthall always host activities for kids and youth. Read more on www.rodastenkonsthall.se During Easter we have extra opening hours on Monday, April 2. The art center is closed Friday 30 March and Saturday 31 March.

Röda Sten Konsthall would like to thank City of Gothenburg, Kulturrådet och Västra Götalandsregionen Kulturnämnden for their kind and generous support.

The exhibition Diorama is supported by Frame Contemporary Art Finland and Art Promotion Centre Finland.

Delcy Morelos - Inre Jord / Inner Earth Annika Dahlsten & Markku Laakso - Diorama

Röda Sten Konsthall 10.2 - 15.4 2018

Tuesday, Thursday & Friday kl 12-5 pm Wednesday kl 12-8 pm Saturday & Sunday kl 12-6 pm