Reading Room
The Reading Room offers a quiet space to read, reflect and converse with other Market attendees. Explore a selection of books from Antics, Art & Theory Publishing and Konst-ig. The space is activated throughout the fair by the ongoing performance Conversation Piece – a series of open conversations revolving around art and artistic publishing, as well as readings from the publications on display.
Antics is a new artist-run gallery in town, exhibiting the art that Stockholm has been missing. In addition to presenting a selection of publications by Antics affiliated artists, they invite visitors to Conversation Piece–an ongoing artwork that consists of conversations on urgent topics within the field of visual art. Everyone is welcome to join the conversation.
Art & Theory Publishing is an independent publishing house, with a focus on architecture, art, culture, fashion, photography, theory and writing. Established in Stockholm in 2012, Art & Theory Publishing works with artists, curators, cultural institutions, museums and more. A selection of recent titles will be available to browse in the Reading Room.
Konstbokhandeln Konst-ig, founded in 1994, is the leading independent art bookstore and distributor based in Stockholm, renowned for its specialized focus on art books and publications in contemporary art, design, and architecture. With its carefully curated selection, konst-ig serves as a vital hub for the city’s art community and a reference point for discerning readers and professionals alike.
Conversation Piece
Conversation Piece is an ongoing series of conversations among visual artists on hot topics in contemporary art, inspired by Lee Lozano’s Dialogue Piece and taking the form of monthly study groups at Hägerstensåsens medborgarhus. At Market, Conversation Piece will create a place for informal conversations taking place in the Reading Room. All visitors are welcome to join the conversations, as listeners or as participants. There will be no microphones, no recording and no preparation needed but there will be coffee. Conversations will be held in Swedish and English. Welcome!
Saturday 17/5
12.00 Conversation Piece: Art School
14.00 Conversation Piece: Wittgenstein vs. Badiou
Sunday 18/5
13.00 Hilding Linnqvist: Med pennan som känselspröt mot världen / With His Pencil as an Antenna to The World
Art School
Underlining Reading Room as a space to experience and learn, we discuss an Art School in (constant?) crisis. Autodidacts vs. those who went to a school with ”Royal” in the title, Horisontal vs. Hierarchical, Black Mountain College vs. Bologna process, post-studio classes vs. lonely studio, buying a certificate vs. self-organised alternative learning programmes. Where should we stop? Where does school end and life begin? Let’s start a conversation about it.
Wittgenstein vs. Badiou
Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent, said Ludwig Wittgenstein. Alain Badiou counters this famous saying, meaning that it is the job of philosophers and artists to try to grasp the ungraspable, that for which we don’t have words. This conversation revolves around art’s paratexts–the exhibition text, artist statements, titles, work lists–and how they tweak our perception of both artwork and artist.
Hilding Linnqvist: Med pennan som känselspröt mot världen / With His Pencil as an Antenna to The WorldArt & Theory invites Emil Ivedal and Adam Rosenkvist to present their new book Hilding Linnqvist: Med pennan som känselspröt mot världen/With His Pencil as an Antenna to The World, in conversation with Maria Hall. Open conversation after the presentation: artists and travel? Residencies? Studio Practice? Drawing? How to take care of an artistic archive? Writing history? Etc.
About Conversation Piece
Conversation Piece is an ongoing series of conversations, taking the form of study circles at Hägerstensåsens Medborgarhus led by artists Channa Bianca and Katarina Sylvan. Conversation Piece is inspired by Dialogue Piece by Lee Lozano, in which she invited people to engage in conversations with her. Since its conception, Conversation Piece has developed into a monthly meeting point for a loosely connected group of visual artists that come together to discuss what they find most urgent in the field of art and in the art world today. Examples of topics discussed are: Conceptual, Riff, Ego, Stupid Painting, Withdrawal, PDF and Bad Poetry: The Exhibition Text.
We thank Contem for supplying a selection of their exclusive wood furniture for the Reading Room.
About Contem
Established by childhood friends Cristian Lind and Jack Dalla Santa in Stockholm, Contem emerged from a shared vision rooted in the appreciation for discarded materials.
With a philosophy centered around uncovering beauty in the overlooked, Contem is committed to recontextualizing resources as multi-functional, long-lasting pieces. By giving new life to trees facing the adversity of sickness and working with wood salvaged from demolition sites, Contem strives to create furniture that tells stories of resilience and renewal.