Annika Ström
09 - 15 Mar 2015
ANNIKA STRÖM
fig-2 10/50
9 – 15 March 2015
Annika Ström introduces short definitions to the public domain of an art encounter in the manner in which her performances emerge and appear as singular acts. ‘Six Lovely People’ is an exhibition that activates fig-2 as a space of encounter, where six actors and actresses act in a lovely manner. Through highlighting a concept, in this case loveliness, as a value to be experienced and explored Ström positions language and human expression as initiators of behavioural science that stimulate physical and mental engagement promoting an awareness of body and mind. Akin to Nauman’s Body Pressure, 1974 piece, Ström’s ‘Six Lovely People’ use instructions for the creation of ideas to be exhibited as verbal directions. Ström works with concepts in a playful manner in a way in which numbers and words collide to produce meaning and value in her depictions of scenarios. Her performances produce mise-en-scènes that are improvised by the actors and actresses and concentrate on a singular act or a feeling, such as ‘Ten Embarrassed Men’ which was commissioned for Frieze Projects in 2010.
ABOUT ANNIKA STRÖM'S WORK
Annika Ström explores the domain of performance and the notions of performativity in her body of work. Throughout her artistic practice, she has handed over the agency of production to third parties, inviting her mother to make drawings of her for her solo exhibition in 1995 to recent performance pieces where she worked with actors and actresses to enact her ideas for instruction based performances. In between, she engages.
‘The Inept Five’, where five recent graduates were asked to behave as incompetent versions of themselves in the context of an unconventional employment scenario. The piece required them to provide catering at an exhibition opening and was performed at Corner House, Manchester in 2012 and at Kunstnerernas Hus, Oslo in 2014. Their ineptitude at serving, and impolite attitude was directed by Ström through a set of instructions. Her project at Frieze Art Fair, consisted of ten male actors acting in an embarrassed manner as they visited the booths, occupied the aisles at the Frieze tent. ‘Ten Embarrassed Men’ is produced in response to the disproportionately low number of women artists at art fairs, pronouncing a counter-positive statement by assigning embarrassment to male dominant situation. ‘The Seven Women Standing in the Way’, is Ström’s most repeated performance, which has been performed seven times to date. It is a piece that necessitates seven women in their sixties, who block the entrance of an art exhibition by being immersed in a lively conversation among each other, disregarding the audience and preventing the willing visitor from entering the venue. ‘The upset man’ evolves around a very upset male persona who responds to a prolonged phone conversation in a very expressive and emotional way, walking across the exhibition venue in an agitated manner, reclining on the walls in distress.
A film of ‘Six Lovely People’, will show in the ICA Studio outside the performance times.
Actors of ‘Six Lovely People are’: Annie Brobby, Tralee Dunn, Lou Fioravanti, Angharad Lewis, Girolamo Mari, Thelma Sharma
Annika Ström introduces short definitions to the public domain of an art encounter in the manner in which her performances emerge and appear as singular acts. ‘Six Lovely People’ is an exhibition that activates fig-2 as a space of encounter, where six actors and actresses act in a lovely manner. Through highlighting a concept, in this case loveliness, as a value to be experienced and explored Ström positions language and human expression as initiators of behavioural science that stimulate physical and mental engagement promoting an awareness of body and mind. Akin to Nauman’s Body Pressure, 1974 piece, Ström’s ‘Six Lovely People’ use instructions for the creation of ideas to be exhibited as verbal directions. Ström works with concepts in a playful manner in a way in which numbers and words collide to produce meaning and value in her depictions of scenarios. Her performances produce mise-en-scènes that are improvised by the actors and actresses and concentrate on a singular act or a feeling, such as ‘Ten Embarrassed Men’ which was commissioned for Frieze Projects in 2010.
ABOUT ANNIKA STRÖM'S WORK
Annika Ström explores the domain of performance and the notions of performativity in her body of work. Throughout her artistic practice, she has handed over the agency of production to third parties, inviting her mother to make drawings of her for her solo exhibition in 1995 to recent performance pieces where she worked with actors and actresses to enact her ideas for instruction based performances. In between, she engages.
‘The Inept Five’, where five recent graduates were asked to behave as incompetent versions of themselves in the context of an unconventional employment scenario. The piece required them to provide catering at an exhibition opening and was performed at Corner House, Manchester in 2012 and at Kunstnerernas Hus, Oslo in 2014. Their ineptitude at serving, and impolite attitude was directed by Ström through a set of instructions. Her project at Frieze Art Fair, consisted of ten male actors acting in an embarrassed manner as they visited the booths, occupied the aisles at the Frieze tent. ‘Ten Embarrassed Men’ is produced in response to the disproportionately low number of women artists at art fairs, pronouncing a counter-positive statement by assigning embarrassment to male dominant situation. ‘The Seven Women Standing in the Way’, is Ström’s most repeated performance, which has been performed seven times to date. It is a piece that necessitates seven women in their sixties, who block the entrance of an art exhibition by being immersed in a lively conversation among each other, disregarding the audience and preventing the willing visitor from entering the venue. ‘The upset man’ evolves around a very upset male persona who responds to a prolonged phone conversation in a very expressive and emotional way, walking across the exhibition venue in an agitated manner, reclining on the walls in distress.
A film of ‘Six Lovely People’, will show in the ICA Studio outside the performance times.
Actors of ‘Six Lovely People are’: Annie Brobby, Tralee Dunn, Lou Fioravanti, Angharad Lewis, Girolamo Mari, Thelma Sharma
Featuring two characters who are frequent Bicester Village shoppers, Annika Ström’s comissioned film for Bicester Village, reveals the peculiarity and intimacy of friendships that can develop in the public-private space of retail venues.
ANNIKA STRÖM CV
Annika Ström (b.1964, Helsingborg, Sweden). Lives and works in London and Hove, UK. Recent performances include: ‘Seven women standing in the way’, Moderna Museet, Malmö (2014); ‘The Upset Man’, Kunstnerernas Hus, Oslo (2014); ‘Look the other way’, Winchester Great Hall (2013); ‘The Inept five’, Corner House, Manchester (2012); ‘The book left Behind’, Centre de Pompidou (2013); ‘The Swede-the rehearsal’, Gallery Gerhardsen Gerner, Berlin (2012); ‘Songs by Annika Ström’, Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo, CAAC, Seville (2011) and ‘Ten Embarrassed Men’ Commissioned by Frieze Art projects 2010. She recently made her first Public permanent installation at LUX in Lund (2014) commissioned by The Art Agency, Sweden.
fig-2 10/50
9 – 15 March 2015
Annika Ström introduces short definitions to the public domain of an art encounter in the manner in which her performances emerge and appear as singular acts. ‘Six Lovely People’ is an exhibition that activates fig-2 as a space of encounter, where six actors and actresses act in a lovely manner. Through highlighting a concept, in this case loveliness, as a value to be experienced and explored Ström positions language and human expression as initiators of behavioural science that stimulate physical and mental engagement promoting an awareness of body and mind. Akin to Nauman’s Body Pressure, 1974 piece, Ström’s ‘Six Lovely People’ use instructions for the creation of ideas to be exhibited as verbal directions. Ström works with concepts in a playful manner in a way in which numbers and words collide to produce meaning and value in her depictions of scenarios. Her performances produce mise-en-scènes that are improvised by the actors and actresses and concentrate on a singular act or a feeling, such as ‘Ten Embarrassed Men’ which was commissioned for Frieze Projects in 2010.
ABOUT ANNIKA STRÖM'S WORK
Annika Ström explores the domain of performance and the notions of performativity in her body of work. Throughout her artistic practice, she has handed over the agency of production to third parties, inviting her mother to make drawings of her for her solo exhibition in 1995 to recent performance pieces where she worked with actors and actresses to enact her ideas for instruction based performances. In between, she engages.
‘The Inept Five’, where five recent graduates were asked to behave as incompetent versions of themselves in the context of an unconventional employment scenario. The piece required them to provide catering at an exhibition opening and was performed at Corner House, Manchester in 2012 and at Kunstnerernas Hus, Oslo in 2014. Their ineptitude at serving, and impolite attitude was directed by Ström through a set of instructions. Her project at Frieze Art Fair, consisted of ten male actors acting in an embarrassed manner as they visited the booths, occupied the aisles at the Frieze tent. ‘Ten Embarrassed Men’ is produced in response to the disproportionately low number of women artists at art fairs, pronouncing a counter-positive statement by assigning embarrassment to male dominant situation. ‘The Seven Women Standing in the Way’, is Ström’s most repeated performance, which has been performed seven times to date. It is a piece that necessitates seven women in their sixties, who block the entrance of an art exhibition by being immersed in a lively conversation among each other, disregarding the audience and preventing the willing visitor from entering the venue. ‘The upset man’ evolves around a very upset male persona who responds to a prolonged phone conversation in a very expressive and emotional way, walking across the exhibition venue in an agitated manner, reclining on the walls in distress.
A film of ‘Six Lovely People’, will show in the ICA Studio outside the performance times.
Actors of ‘Six Lovely People are’: Annie Brobby, Tralee Dunn, Lou Fioravanti, Angharad Lewis, Girolamo Mari, Thelma Sharma
Annika Ström introduces short definitions to the public domain of an art encounter in the manner in which her performances emerge and appear as singular acts. ‘Six Lovely People’ is an exhibition that activates fig-2 as a space of encounter, where six actors and actresses act in a lovely manner. Through highlighting a concept, in this case loveliness, as a value to be experienced and explored Ström positions language and human expression as initiators of behavioural science that stimulate physical and mental engagement promoting an awareness of body and mind. Akin to Nauman’s Body Pressure, 1974 piece, Ström’s ‘Six Lovely People’ use instructions for the creation of ideas to be exhibited as verbal directions. Ström works with concepts in a playful manner in a way in which numbers and words collide to produce meaning and value in her depictions of scenarios. Her performances produce mise-en-scènes that are improvised by the actors and actresses and concentrate on a singular act or a feeling, such as ‘Ten Embarrassed Men’ which was commissioned for Frieze Projects in 2010.
ABOUT ANNIKA STRÖM'S WORK
Annika Ström explores the domain of performance and the notions of performativity in her body of work. Throughout her artistic practice, she has handed over the agency of production to third parties, inviting her mother to make drawings of her for her solo exhibition in 1995 to recent performance pieces where she worked with actors and actresses to enact her ideas for instruction based performances. In between, she engages.
‘The Inept Five’, where five recent graduates were asked to behave as incompetent versions of themselves in the context of an unconventional employment scenario. The piece required them to provide catering at an exhibition opening and was performed at Corner House, Manchester in 2012 and at Kunstnerernas Hus, Oslo in 2014. Their ineptitude at serving, and impolite attitude was directed by Ström through a set of instructions. Her project at Frieze Art Fair, consisted of ten male actors acting in an embarrassed manner as they visited the booths, occupied the aisles at the Frieze tent. ‘Ten Embarrassed Men’ is produced in response to the disproportionately low number of women artists at art fairs, pronouncing a counter-positive statement by assigning embarrassment to male dominant situation. ‘The Seven Women Standing in the Way’, is Ström’s most repeated performance, which has been performed seven times to date. It is a piece that necessitates seven women in their sixties, who block the entrance of an art exhibition by being immersed in a lively conversation among each other, disregarding the audience and preventing the willing visitor from entering the venue. ‘The upset man’ evolves around a very upset male persona who responds to a prolonged phone conversation in a very expressive and emotional way, walking across the exhibition venue in an agitated manner, reclining on the walls in distress.
A film of ‘Six Lovely People’, will show in the ICA Studio outside the performance times.
Actors of ‘Six Lovely People are’: Annie Brobby, Tralee Dunn, Lou Fioravanti, Angharad Lewis, Girolamo Mari, Thelma Sharma
Featuring two characters who are frequent Bicester Village shoppers, Annika Ström’s comissioned film for Bicester Village, reveals the peculiarity and intimacy of friendships that can develop in the public-private space of retail venues.
ANNIKA STRÖM CV
Annika Ström (b.1964, Helsingborg, Sweden). Lives and works in London and Hove, UK. Recent performances include: ‘Seven women standing in the way’, Moderna Museet, Malmö (2014); ‘The Upset Man’, Kunstnerernas Hus, Oslo (2014); ‘Look the other way’, Winchester Great Hall (2013); ‘The Inept five’, Corner House, Manchester (2012); ‘The book left Behind’, Centre de Pompidou (2013); ‘The Swede-the rehearsal’, Gallery Gerhardsen Gerner, Berlin (2012); ‘Songs by Annika Ström’, Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo, CAAC, Seville (2011) and ‘Ten Embarrassed Men’ Commissioned by Frieze Art projects 2010. She recently made her first Public permanent installation at LUX in Lund (2014) commissioned by The Art Agency, Sweden.