The title of the exhibition is taken from the Norwegian author Tor Ulven’s Grave Goods from 1988. Like many other segments in the book, it is a fragment. The text starts with Ulven naming items that are buried underfoot: scraps of chicken, sheep legs, mussels, broken pieces of pottery, counterfeit sets of dice, a bag of copper coins, the skeleton of a guinea pig. All the while we wander around on top, unaware of all the former lives and memories that are concealed below our feet.
The exhibition presents works by the nine artists that work together in the artist-run space Verkligheten, located in central Umeå, Sweden. Since the start in 2001, Verkligheten has fought for artists’ right to get payed, but also worked with their place – Västerbotten and Umeå – to make it possible to thrive there as artists.
Our incentive through the years: that we choose our exhibiting artists with passion; that we take care of our artists in a way that creates a platform for great discussions about art; that we are a space for experiments; that we present local artists to an international audience; that we activate our urban space with gardening and yard parties; that visitors not accustomed to the art world are welcomed; that we see ourselves as mentors; that we exhibit together as an artist group; that we never stop evolving. That is our source.
Verkligheten
The exhibition includes works by Gerd Aurell SE, Helena Wikström SE, Mattias Olofsson SE, Fanny Carinasdotter SE, Simon Gran Danielsson SE, Maria K Olsson SE, Moa Ryman SE, Hannes Iversen SE and Michaela Frycklund SE
