Art review: Active spring exhibition at Konstfack

The great divide in the konstdebatten right now goes between those who believe that art primarily should be a political matter, and those who argue that the aesthetic dimension is lost if it gets too ”authentic”. That a happy medium could exist in these polarized times seems almost impossible.

But after seeing this year's spring exhibition at Konstfack, I feel that the situation is not entirely hopeless. Since the radical 60's, the Arts have been the most reliable supplier of fotriktig plakatkonst, but this year's show is more action-oriented than polemical. Rather than moan about the state of things presents several of the students practical solutions to today's challenges.

Jonathan Anderung, who created a series of drinking glasses for people who for various reasons have difficulties to grab a normal glass. Was not to the purpose, one would be able to take them for the exceptionally stylish yet completely normal glass, with a blue accent color that brings to mind Erika Lagerbielkes classic series ”Intermezzo”. Fixed for people with funktionsvariationer makes the everyday life both more aesthetic and more manageable.

the Same tendency recurs in Alice Ekelöf, who created the norm-critical utensils for restaurangbruk. The tavern is a strict hierarchical workplace, where women in particular work in the service and men in the kitchen. Ekelöf, who himself worked as a chef, was tired of the comments that men were more suitable for the heavy work, and realized that the problem could be solved with design that is more ergonomically designed pans.

A more humorous attitude we find in Isa Andersson, who noted that the so-called prepperkulturen – where people prepare for an impending disaster by storing water, food and weapons – primarily attract a male audience. In order to make it more attractive to women, she has created a gender-neutral, aesthetically designed survival equipment, including sharpened keys that women can have in the pocket as protection against potential assailants.

on a casual problem comes from Oskar Lundgren, who, with the help of local forces, created a simple sauna in a suburb of stockholm. Thus he hopes to be able to recover any of the kvarterskänsla and community that has been lost in the urban landscape.

All of these students come from the College's bachelor's degree course in industrial design and the master's course in design, training courses as in the regular case ends up in the shadow of the konststudenternas more spectacular works. But at this year's spring show, they account for some of the most thought provoking and inspiring projects.

After the so-called Black house across the street torn down have the curators of this year's exhibition, Asrin Haidari, and Emily Fahlén, had to cram the students in the school all the nook and crannies. They have still managed to create an airy and accessible presentation, unusual educational presentation.

But it also leads to that some works are difficult to find. Some of konststudenterna set out in culverts in the school's basement, which is not ideal. But in Rodrigo Albornoz cases, it is actually a perfect environment. He has created an installation that depicts an underground knarkfabrik, similar to that in the tv series ”Breaking Bad”, as an illustration of the unequal relationship between the white majority population in the west and the global underclass who were forced into illegal actions in order to survive.

the project we find of Emma Dominguez, as in the photographs, and the authentic letter shows how her immigrant mother fought against the Swedish authorities in order to receive sickness benefit, even though she worked and paid taxes in 25 years. As Dominguez points out, affects the place you live at (in this case, Norsborg) both one's mental and physical health and life expectancy.

the Midst of these urgent and rational project, it is still nice to see the works that stand out by being the peculiar, the irrational, and in good sense mind-boggling. It is, after all, the art makes the best.

In the year represented the tendency, above all, by Freya Willborg in textile studies, created a sprawling and liberating crazy installation by, among other things furuplank, PLUMBING-lin for the thread, butter, margarine, rågdeg, wheat flour, potatoes, MOTORCYCLE pants, hose clamp, synthetic rubber, etc.

Willborgs aim of the work is, according to a väggtext, to ”penetrate into the trädartade culture strain and get the roots to make new foreign purposes.” There, she manages just fine with.