William Hunt, "Longshore Drift", Whitstable Biennale 2006, photo: Simon Steven, courtesy IBID Projects, London
This July, 14 European galleries from Warsaw, Paris, Berlin, Milan, Istanbul, London, Vilnius and Reykjavik will create a temporary international art district in the centre of Reykjavik
The project's aim is to prove that private galleries with curatorial experience can be innovative and stimulating, that they promote active interaction with the public and function not only according to art market rules. Villa Reykjavík is a result of a general feeling of disappointment with the formula of art fairs. In addition, the project stems from the conviction that private galleries which collaborate with given artists play a decisive role in determining the shape of contemporary art field and the directions of its explorations. It is an attempt to release a collective energy and rediscover the common denominator of art in its many manifestations, along with a penchant for experimentation and risk.
For the whole of July, all the invited galleries will create an international art district. Solo exhibitions or projects involving a few chosen artists will be organised as well. As a whole, it will comprise a review of private European galleries - from Vilnius and Warsaw to London and Reykjavík - creating a single international meeting place for observation and confrontation.
The first week of the international art district promises a full roster of special events - openings, concerts, performances, film screenings, meetings and discussions. Artists collaborating with the participating galleries will be present. One of the clubs in the city – Bakkus – will become the club of Villa Reykjavík. This will be the focal venue where everybody will have the chance to really interact, where all the guests and participants of the project - gallery owners, curators, artists, and the public - will have a chance to meet.
Villa Reykjavík is yet another incarnation of the idea of a meeting coined by
Raster Gallery in the summer of 2006 in Warsaw. Ten galleries (
Foksal Foundation Gallery, gb agency, Hotel, Daniel Hug, Ibid Projects, Jan Mot, Galeria Plan b, Raster, galleries Joeclyn Wolff and Zero) met in an abandoned villa in the city center, a house owned by the eccentric amateur artist, Antoni Moniuszko. Hidden behind wild shrubbery, the building was changed into an extraordinary exhibition space. The few days of the project were filled with performances, spectacles, or contemporary dance presentations, while the evenings were busy with the mingling crowds of art professionals and art lovers.
In Reykjavik, the Galeria Foksal Foundation will present works by such Polish artists as
Paweł Althamer,
Monika Sosnowska, Piotr Janasand Anna Molska. Anna Molska created a special piece especially for the project. Raster's "Fate Away" show examines the concept of "blind fate" through the work of Janek Simon and
Rafał Bujnowski. Villa Reykjavik's film section has been prepared by Łukasz Gorczyca, featuring a video art series Art gets us Drunk, which challenges the traditional aesthetic experience. A special screening of
Wilhelm Sasnal's full-length film Świniopas ("Swineherd") will also be presented at Villa Reykjavik.
Reykjavík is far away enough from the art centres of Europe to get away from the routine of gallery watching, along with a chance to get to know the local art and music scene in the city.
A special guide will accompany the project, published in June 2010 in a book form. It will contain materials about the different galleries, interviews with artists, a detailed plan of events, and information about Reykjavík and its artistic circles. The event will also be advertised in leading art magazines ("Art Forum", "Flash Art", "Frieze", "Art Review"). In Reykjavík a special insert on the project will be added to the popular "Grapevine" newspaper.
Project organised by Raster / Stowarzyszenie Integracji Kultury: www.raster.art.pl
Concept: Łukasz Gorczyca & Michał Kaczyński
Project Coordinators: Paulina Wrocławska, Karol Sienkiewicz, Kamila Bondar, Kristín Dagmar Jóhannesdóttir, Edda Kristín Sigurjonsdóttir
More information:
www.villareykjavik.com.
Source: villareykjavik.com