FORUM KUNSTJOURNALEN B-POST LAUNCH
Kunstjournalen B-post is an contemporary art magazine published annually, which contains contributions from contemporary artists. Each issue investigates a central topic through commissioned texts and art projects. On February 8th the fifth edition of Kunstjournalen B-post will be launched at Hordaland Art Centre. The launch starts at 8 PM, and everyone who shows up before 8.30 will receive a complimentary magazine. The artists Heidi Nikolaisen and Camilla Haukedal will present their contributions in this issue of Kunstjournalen B-post.
Fortida nå! (The past - now!)
This fifth issue explores how artist´s investigation of history and archives can act as a way to highlight issues of politics and society.
The issue contains:
- Art projects by Victor Lind, Heidi Nikolaisen, Guttorm Guttormsgaard, Vilde Salhus Røed, Camilla Haukedal and Anthony Tessier.
- Texts about Guttorm Guttormsgaard, Goshka Macuga, Hans Haacke, Lene Berg, Bruno Latour, Ketil Nergaard, Wendelien Van Oldenborgh, Sarah Vanagt and Will Bradley, Hans-Georg Gadamer and Michel Foucault.
- Writers are Aage Langhelle, Gerd Elise Mørland, Knut Ove Eliassen, Arve Rød, Anke Bangma, Rune Nydal, Dieter Roelstraete, Lene Berg, Kristin Sampson, Vibeke Tellmann and Annette Kierulf.
Contemporary art is often associated with ideas of ”the new” and the terms such as the avant-garde. Especially during modernist times when the contrast between innovative art and a traditionional society was great this was the case. Today the consumer society has taken over the cult of the "new" and this vision no longer holds the same force for the arts. In post-postmodern times, nearly everything could be perceived as relevant and contemporary, and the focus on contemporary is replaced by discussions about how society and people relate to each other.
Many artists are using today's archives and history as sources and materials for their projects. They explore the history of official and alternative stories and disjointed historical residue. What is the role of art in this context? Is it valuable as a reworking of the fear of the future or nostalgia? Will they be able to create visions for the future by looking backward? Or can art's digging in the past serve as an effective way to set the agenda for important human problems?
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Kunstjournalen B-post is an independent publication, existing since 2006. It is published by Foreningen av 2007 til fremme for kunstfaglig refleksjon og debatt (Association of 2007 for artistic research and debate), with support from Norsk Kulturfond, City of Bergen, The Freedom of Expression Foundation, Hordaland County and Norske Billedkunstnere. Editors are Annette Kierulf and Arne Rygg.