THE VALAND GROUP, projects 1990-93

Maria Bjurestam, Cecilia Darle, Vanja Gyllensköld, Gunilla Hansson, Annika Lundgren, Susanna Nygren, Cecilia E Parsberg, Marie Sjölander, Elin Wikström. Students at the Valand college of Art, Gothenburg, Sweden.

In 1990-93 we formed a discussion group around issues in the theory of art, literature, philosophy, psychology and Julia Kristeva's theory of the abject. During the period the group also made projects:

YELLO

Shown at the Valand student's gallery ROTOR and the AVE festival in Arnheim, Holland in 1991.

YELLO consisted of 80 kilo yello-pudding, unmoulded at the opening upon a white, fourlegged plinth. Simultaneously laughter, recorded from our meetings, was playbacked in loudspeakers. The pudding fell apart in a few minutes. It was then left with the sound for the rest of the exhibition. The work was collectively concieved.

The 19th Floor

Installation at the 19th floor in the SKANSKA-building, Gothenburg, 1992.

The SKANSKA-building was built during the economically over-heated 1980's as a 25-storey office building. Due to the financial decline in the beginning of the 90's, some of the top floors were unlet. The unlet floors still had bare concrete walls, electric and other installations were not hidden, there were no carpet on the floor. As a starting-point for the piece, we made interviews with the people working in the building. The installation consisted of a blue tent placed in one of the two rooms. A soft background sound-track with music from 1980's glamour-films was played. In the next room was a white chalk text on a wall. It was an excerpt from the discussions and concerned issues of home and sense of belonging.

STRUT

Mölndals Kunsthalle, 1992.

At the Kunsthalle, the group showed individual works. It was important that there would be no given theme, no collective statement or manifesto.

Be Connected-Artists Showing Artists.

RIX Kunsthalle, Linköping 1993.

The invited artists were present during a two day-seminar, discussing issues like artist-as-curator, the artist/curator roles and the artist/curator responsibility for artworks. The discussions were later published as a text.

Artists in the exhibition:

Karin Andersson, Lotta Antonsson, Lars Ola Bergkvist, Anna Brag, Leif Elggren, Peter Hagdahl, CM von Hausswolff, Bengt Olof Johansson, Erik Pauser, Johan Sunesson.