Highlights from 2023
In 2023 we had the pleasure of welcoming 12 new residents to Artica: Maritea Dæhlin, Åse Kristine Tveit, Nabil Ahmed, Kristin Folsland Olsen, Rikke Luther, Yamile Calderón, Grace Ndiritu, Helene Sommer, Nikhil Vettukattil, Rafiki, Ruth Maclennan and Trine Hamran. It has been a joy to get to know each of them and their work and to share experiences together here on Svalbard. Read more about the 2023 residents here.
This year has also been filled with fantastic educational, moving, fun and inspiring events for our local community and beyond, from film screenings, talks, workshops, exhibitions, coffee clubs, soup nights, boat trips and hikes – the journey of knowledge shared and gained is always a highlight. As ever, we want to thank our key partners, collaborators, and funders, none of this would have been possible without their instrumental support. The key partners Norwegian Nonfiction Writers' and Translators' Association (NFFO), NordNorsk KunstMuseum, Office for Contemporary Art Norway (OCA) and The Queen Sonja Print Award. Our collaborations Longyearbyen Lokalstyre, NAARCA, Svalbard Museum, Nordover, Svalbard Folkehøgskole, Longyearbyen Library, University Centre in Svalbard, Henningsen Transport and guiding and Svalbard Huskies. Many thanks also to our funders Norwegian Ministry of Culture and Equality, Fritt Ord and Sparebankstiftelsen which have allowed us to carry out our residencies, projects, events and to start bold new ones.
And finally, we want to say a huge thank you to the local community who surprise us every year with their generosity, welcoming the residents with their time, knowledge, experiences, food, laughter, and perspectives about our unique home here in Svalbard.
Here are just some of the memorable moments we’ve shared this year.
Community premiere: Screening of the documentary The Visitors and panel discussion
On a dark and cold January evening we screened the premiere of the documentary film, The Visitors to a full house at the cultural centre. The film maps anthropologist Zdenka Sokolíčková’s effort to unpack the "changing climate" in Longyearbyen, starting from environmental change but diving deeper into the issues of segregation, language barriers, nationalism and social inequalities. The panel discussion that followed answers some questions from the film but raised many new ones from the audiences lived experience.
Installation view at QSPA in Oslo
Exhibition: Artica in Residence at QSPA, Oslo
In March we headed to Oslo to share an exhibition of works-in-progress by some of the past QSPA residents. Featured artists included: Petter Buhagen, AK Dolven, Inma Herrera, Heehyun Jeong, Ellen Karin Mæhlum, Line Prip and a work made by HM Dronning Sonja during the opening of Artica Svalbard in 2016. With short films about OCA nominated artists Ignas Krunglevičius and Jessica MacMillan.
All the films are available to watch on our website, including a film made with artist Inma Herrera, where she discusses her practice, working methods and some of the experiences she had on Svalbard during her residency.
Two Svalbard reindeer fighting over a spot to eat. Photo by Morgan Heim
Artica Writings
For this year’s commissioned series of short essays we focused on food related topics on Svalbard, from four different perspectives. We learnt about mushrooms that grow in the ice desert, what our beloved Svalbard reindeers are eating and why we eat space food on Earth.
The final essay is by 2023 resident Nikhil Vettukattil and will be released soon. We also published the 2022 commissioned series, Return to Nature as a printed booklet which you can order here.
Skaftfell Arts Centre, NAARCA’s Icelandic partner
Testing Grounds, a podcast presented by the Nordic Alliance of Artists’ Residencies on Climate Action (NAARCA)
As the climate crisis accelerates, how can artists’ residencies be testing grounds for new – and better – ways of living and working? A new, 8-part podcast series brings together artists, researchers and activists from across the Nordic region and Scotland to explore this question. Each episode in the series looks at the crisis through the lens of one artists’ residency. You can read more about NAARCA here.
If you are looking for something to listen to over the holiday season, the whole series is now available here or search for “Testing Grounds” in your favourite podcast app.
Artica Svalbard, featuring the Future Community Garden installation, October 2022
Environmental policy and action plan
At the start of 2023 Artica began the process of researching, developing, and implementing an environmental policy and action plan. There is a lot of ground to make up, but as an organisation based in the Arctic we are fully committed to being responsible and to sharing knowledge of successful (and sometimes unsuccessful) changes others might find helpful.
You can now read Artica’s full Environmental Responsibility Statement and Action plan here. And you can also find a Community Resources list here, which is the outcome of a day-long workshop about quiet sustainability initiatives in Longyearbyen. We hope this list inspires others around the globe to start your own activities.
Lantern Lecture with Karoline Baelum at Artica Svalbard
Lantern Lectures
This dark season we launched a new series of Lantern Lectures, taking inspiration from an age-old form of public event the Lantern Lecture – a form of diversion and education from the 1870s through the early 1900s. The magic lantern illustrated scientific lectures, entertainment, current events discussion, political campaigns, missionary fundraising, and humanitarian causes.
As part of Artica’s series, we invited our resident artists and writers alongside local scientists, archivists, conservators, trappers and recycling experts to share their knowledge with us and invite conversation. Thank you to all our inspiring hosts and to the over 200 people who came along, actively listened, asked questions, and engaged.
Look out for the next series in-person and online in 2024.
We look forward to welcoming the next residents to Longyearbyen in 2024 and sharing news of their time with us alongside another packed year of local and digital events. We wish all our good friends and collaborators - locally, nationally and internationally - a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!