Artica Svalbard annual report 2023

ANNUAL REPORT 2023

Cover: Rafiki, Untitled (2023) © Rafiki / BONO 2024 This page: Rafiki’s workspace, Artica 2023

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CONTENTS INTRODUCTION...................................................................................... 04 ABOUT..........................................................................................................07 OUR RESIDENCY PROGRAMME.................................................... 09 OUR RESIDENTS 2023..........................................................................12 PROJECTS, EVENTS & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.......... 36 COMMUNICATIONS & DIGITAL....................................................... 50

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CONFERENCES........................................................................................52 ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND ACTION PLAN..................... 54 FUTURE PROGRAMME....................................................................... 56 PLANS FOR 2024 ................................................................................. 58 NEWS FROM ARTICA’S ALUMNI.................................................... 60 STAFFING AND GOVERNANCE........................................................62 KEY PARTNERS....................................................................................... 64 CREDITS..................................................................................................... 66

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INTRODUCTION

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At the start of 2023 Artica hosted its first family-inresidence with artist Maritea Dæhlin. This experience was at a level of trust and commitment we had not shared at Artica before, but Lisa Bakk Bøen, residency and studio coordinator embraced it whole-heartedly alongside Maritea and her family. Together we learnt so much about Longyearbyen, its community, the peace of the polar night and the knowledge that can be shared across ages. And of course, it’s also fun!

“For some it might be best to come alone, so more than recommending it, I would say it has definitely been the right thing for me/us to come with my family and see the place through the eyes of a child and my partner.

I believe in the importance of being able to share this experience collectively with them, creating a bank of shared experiences in life, that shape us, challenge us and make us grow. This would probably not have been such a good experience, had it not been for the people we have met here, who have received all of us with a lot of openness and patience, not all adults have the capacity to be at the level of a child, but Lisa (from Artica) and Maggie (local) do. So to play, cook, explore and spend time with them made us quickly feel at home.”

- Maritea Dæhlin With this experience, we moved on into the year, welcoming the rest of the incredible 2023 residents.

Sharing our knowledge, connections and embracing the unknown together. We hiked to the glaciers and bird mountain, learnt about reindeer hunting and other food cultures in Longyearbyen, we heard unique stories from our residents and community about historical

cabins, new observations in the Northern Lights, and the life of modern-day trappers via our new Lantern Lectures series – which aims to highlight and celebrate the knowledge that exists on Svalbard. We crossed borders to listen to our neighbours and shared film nights, food, and the last summer sunset.

In times of crisis and war, artists and writers become even more important as conveyors of freedom of speech and artistic expression. At COP28 there was unprecedented political commitment to engaging with cultural heritage, the arts, and creative industries, putting culture at the heart of climate policy. Going into 2024, these are the things that strengthen my commitment and Artica’s, to facilitate artistic and cultural activities on Svalbard, and to support the development of Norwegian and international art and culture.

Now, more than ever, I want to thank all those who support Artica. Funding from the Norwegian Ministry of Culture and Equality, Fritt Ord, Sparebankstiftelsen, and other trusts and foundations enables us to continue to offer a safe, inspiring and ambitious residency and public programme.

And once again, the Artica team, freelancers, volunteers, board, key partners and collaborators showed great creativity, capacity and commitment throughout the year. We look forward to continuing this work in 2024.

- Charlotte Hetherington, Director

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Main Photo: Family hike to Longyearbreen glacier, Maritea Dæhlin Portrait: Charlotte Hetherington by Ángel Valiente

INTRODUCTION

Solfestuka Sun Placard Workshop for children during the Sun Festival

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ABOUT

THINK, CHALLENGE, INSPIRE Artica Svalbard is one of Norway’s leading not-for-profit residency foundations. Based in Longyearbyen, Svalbard we are a place for thinking slowly in a fast changing world.

Working with Svalbard’s natural cycle from the midnight sun to the polar night, we place great emphasis on deep thinking around some of the most pressing issues of our time. Our mission is to challenge the perspectives of the polar regions, welcoming knowledge we don’t have in order to inspire change.

Artica Svalbard was founded on the 8th of November 2016, the purpose of the foundation is to facilitate artistic and cultural activities on Svalbard, and to support the development of Norwegian and international art and culture.

The work of the foundation is made possible by the on-going financial support of the Norwegian Ministry of Culture and Fritt Ord (the Freedom of Expression Foundation).

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OUR VALUES Professional impact Working with our key partners, collaborators and network to help us continuously improve the residents’ (artists, writers, researchers) experience and impact on their work.

Engagement We provide best practice in all that we do to ensure that we are embedded and seen as an effective asset for the communities and audiences we serve.

Influence change Being part of the conversation for Longyearbyen’s transition to sustainability. And building towards change at regional, cultural and structural levels.

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Resident Nikhil Vettukattil visits Svalbard Bryggeri

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Kristin Folsland Olsen’s residents talk at Svalbard Folkehøgskole

OUR RESIDENCY PROGRAMME

OUR RESIDENCY PROGRAMME In a fast moving world Artica offers a place to slow down, providing our residents with time to think, to challenge and be challenged, and to inspire.

Questioning the idea of residencies as temporary, Artica works closely with the key partners: The Norwegian Nonfiction Writers’ and Translators’ Association (NFFO), Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum, Office for Contemporary Art Norway (OCA) and the Queen Sonja Print Award to support the artists, writers and researchers that come to Svalbard. Their physical stay is temporary, but the experience, friendship and knowledge (shared and gained) grows.

Our pioneering programme of residencies, artist development, community events, offsite commissions and collaborative network have gained an international reputation.

In 2023 we hosted the first Nordic Alliance of Artists Residencies on Climate Action (NAARCA) exchange resident. Artist Rikke Luther spent time at two other NAARCA partner residencies - Narsaq International Research Station, Greenland and Baltic Art Center, Sweden, before coming to Artica in May. In 2024 artist Nikhil Vettukattil will visit Narsaq International Research Station, Greenland and Cove Park, Scotland as part of the on-going residency exchange programme.

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OUR RESIDENTS IN 2023: Nominated by The Norwegian Nonfiction Writers’ and Translators’ Association (NFFO) Åse Kristine Tveit, Kristin Folsland Olsen, Trine Hamran Nominated by Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum Maritea Dæhlin, Nabil Ahmed, Grace Ndiritu, Nicole Rafiki, Ruth Maclennan Nominated by the Office for Contemporary Art Norway (OCA) Yamile Calderón, Helene Sommer, Nikhil Vettukattil Nominated by NAARCA Rikke Luther

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Grace Ndiritu hikes in Bjorndalen

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Helene Sommer filming, Longyearbreen moraine

Åse Kristine Tveit’s resident talk at Longyearbyen Library

Yamile Calderón filming, Adventdalen

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OUR RESIDENTS 2023

ÅSE KRISTINE TVEIT NOMINATED BY NFFO Åse Kristine Tveit is a trained librarian and literary scholar, and has a PhD in library and information science. She is an associate professor at the Department of Archive, Library and Information Studies at Oslo Metropolitan University, where she teaches and researches children’s literature and the sociology of literature.

Her research interests are, among other things, linked to representations of childhood in literature. Some of this comes out in the article Hooded books with fur trim: A classic trail through Svalbard literature (2012) and the documentary book Adresse Ny-Ålesund (2011), which in one of the chapters tells about growing up in the mining town. Åse Kristine has previously worked as a librarian in Longyearbyen.

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“I am most grateful for this opportunity to focus on a theme of research that I have had in mind for some time.”

- Åse Kristine Tveit, post residency survey

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KRISTIN FOLSLAND OLSEN NOMINATED BY NFFO Kristin Folsland Olsen lives in Kabelvåg, Lofoten and works as a writer, photographer and lecturer. She has written several non-fiction books, including Turguide Lofoten. Kristin is passionate about the arctic wilderness. She has carried out a number of skiing expeditions on Svalbard, Greenland, Baffin Island and South Georgia. Kristin works multimedial and uses both text and photography in her work. She is keen to seek deep and genuine contact with nature, and not just see it as a backdrop. This also appears in her works.

“The original plan to have daily writing practice and complete parts of the manuscript at Artica’s writing workshop, was quickly changed to prioritise replenishing experiences and inspiration from the Arctic surroundings. I wrote less than planned, but got more input than expected. What I am most pleased with and satisfied with the writing project is that I found a solution for the final chapter of the book. With this stay in Svalbard, a circle was closed.”

- Kristin Folsland Olsen, post residency survey

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TRINE HAMRAN NOMINATED BY NFFO Trine Hamran is a freelance non-fiction writer and journalist from Tromsø, trained as a social anthropologist and journalist. In her books, she has written about themes such as grief and death, cold war and espionage, trust and reconciliation. She has published multiple books: Grytøya-tragedien (Spartacus, 2022), Herre i eget hus. Finnmark fylkeskommune 2010-2019 (Finnmark fylkeskommune, 2020), Farvel, min venn (Utenfor Allfarvei, 2019), and En god nordmann. Fortellingen om Frode Berg (Gyldendal, 2019).

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Hamran has worked as a journalist for a number of years, in NRK Dagsrevyen and NRK Finnmark, Dagsavisen, and local newspapers in Finnmark. She has taken a particular interest in the northern regions and the relationship between people across borders in the north. She has countless reportage trips behind her in Russia, and in 2013 she won several awards as a journalist for the online documentary borderstories.no, which she filmed and produced herself.

She has previously traveled a lot around Svalbard, and has worked as a tour guide on the archipelago, on hikes and boat trips with Italian and French tourists, and has been responsible for communication, tour planning and security.

“To stay in Longyearbyen for three months, in the darkest period of the year, is in a way to turn away from the world. At the same time, it is to turn towards a special community that closes in on itself during the dark season, and it is to turn inwards towards oneself and towards one’s own writing.”

Trine Hamran, post residency survey

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MARITEA DÆHLIN NOMINATED BY NORDNORSK KUNSTMUSEUM Maritea Dæhlin is an interdisciplinary artist who lives and works in Norway and Mexico. She is interested in human behaviours, emotions, rituals and encounters. Her work spans between theatre, video performance, performance art and text. Her art comes off as playful, non-linear and sometimes absurd.

Dæhlin’s studies include a BA in Devised Theatre with Digital Arts at Dartington College of Arts in England (2007-2010) and a 2-year acting course at Nordic Black Express in Oslo (2005–2007).

Her work has been nominated for the Norwegian critic’s prize (2020) and for Heddaprisen (2022). Dæhlin was an associated artist at Black Box theatre and is a recipient of a work grant for artists by the Arts Council Norway.

Her work has been shown at venues and festivals from South- to North America and in Europe, such as Black Box theatre (Oslo), Les SUBS (Lyon), Kilden theatre (Kristiansand), Nulty Bod festival (Prague), Kunstbanken – Hedmark Kunstsenter (Hamar), Center for Performance Research(New York), Centro Cultural España (Mexico City), RAS-Regional Arena for Samtidsdans (Sandnes), No Nation Gallery (Chicago), Central School of Speech and Drama (London), Defibrillator Gallery (Chicago), and San Agustin Arts Centre (Oaxaca).

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“After a bit over a month here I can say that the biggest recommendation, that at least has been right to me/us, has been to come with little expectation of what this place would bring to me/us and what would come out of it artistically. It has been important for me to just be here, to absorb the place, which is so different than any other place I have been to, at the same time as surprisingly also feeling familiar. I am very thankful for being given a space that is not just about producing a final product, but more about observing, sleeping, resting, feeling how a process is activated from within, without yet knowing what it means or will mean. It has also included a lot of writing, thinking, reading and sketching. Just to be here puts so many realities and subjects into a new and confronting light.”

- Maritea Dæhlin, post residency survey

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NABIL AHMED NOMINATED BY NORDNORSK KUNSTMUSEUM Nabil Ahmed is the founder and co-director of INTERPRT, a research agency that pursues environmental justice through spatial and visual investigations. INTERPRT uses architectural research, remote sensing and publicly available data to produce evidence files for legal cases, advocacy videos and exhibitions. He is Professor of Visual Intervention at the Trondheim Academy of Fine Art (KiT) in the faculty of architecture and design at Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). He sits on the advisory board of Stop Ecocide International.

Our collaboration with Nabil Ahmed continues in 2024 as he will be a part of this year’s Artica Listens.

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“Artica Svalbard residency is a vital space, and growing network that is linking art across disciplines and the Artic to the rest of the world. It’s a tremendous privilege to be a part of it and to think and act together on the most pressing issues such as climate change and geopolitical forces which are so palpable in the landscape.”

- Nabil Ahmed, post residency survey

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GRACE NDIRITU NOMINATED BY NORDNORSK KUNSTMUSEUM Grace Ndiritu is a British-Kenyan artist whose artworks are concerned with the transformation of our contemporary world.

Ndiritu took the radical decision in 2012 only to spend time in the city when necessary, and to otherwise live in rural, alternative and often spiritual communities, while expanding her research into nomadic lifestyles and training in esoteric studies such as shamanism, which she began over 18 years ago. Her research so far has taken her to both Thai and Tibetan Buddhist monasteries, permaculture communities in New Zealand, forest tree dwellers in Argentina, neo-tribal festivals such the Burning Man in Nevada, a Hare Krishna ashram and the Findhorn New Age community in Scotland.

In 2012 Ndiritu began creating a new body of works under the title Healing The Museum. It came out of a need to re-introduce non-rational healing methodologies such as shamanism to re-activate the ‘sacredness’ of art spaces. Ndiritu believes that most modern art institutions are out of sync with their audiences’ everyday experiences and the widespread socio-economical and political changes that have taken place globally in the recent decades, have further eroded the relationship between museums and their audiences. Ndiritu sees shamanism as a way to re-activate the dying art space as a space for sharing, participation and ethics. From prehistoric to modern times the shaman was not only the group healer and facilitator of peace but also the creative; the artist. Her most ambitious shamanic performance to date A Meal For My Ancestors: Healing The Museum included staff members of the U.N. NATO & EU parliament, activists, and refugees at Thalielab, Brussels (2018).

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While in Svalbard, Ndiritu worked on writing and researching her debut novel The Museum of the Future.

“Living in Svalbard even in the short term is not for the faint of heart. There are many obstacles to overcoming psychically, mentally and emotionally but it’s worth it. I would highly recommend other artists to do it. “ - Grace Ndiritu, post residency survey

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RAFIKI NOMINATED BY NORDNORSK KUNSTMUSEUM Rafiki lives and works between South Africa and Norway. Her interdisciplinary artworks move between photography and bead work, textiles and text, and the use of memorial objects old and new. Rather than producing finished products as an end result, Rafiki treats art making as a practice of remembrance, healing and cultural analysis.

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Her images often employ artistic strategies that avoid a western anthropological gaze.

Incorporating symbolism, fables, and tools of visual storytelling and oral history, she invokes themes of forced migration and war ghosts, racialized perceptions of Blackness and femininity, and fraught colonial traditions of spatial power and temporal erasure. As a child of the Kongolese diaspora with connections in various countries in Africa and Europe, she taps into pre-colonial forms of global interconnectedness and knowledge transfer.

“I’ve travelled across the European continent several times, but this was the first time I travelled this far north. It felt a bit strange, but at the same time beautiful. I was well received and came to a place with a strong character. During my time at Artica, I experienced warmth and care from the staff, my colleagues and people in the local community. It was an interesting contrast between the eventually cold weather and the people I met.

I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything and I would happily go back at the first and best opportunity. Svalbard and my stay at Artica have a very special place in my heart. I am very happy that I got this opportunity.”

- Rafiki, post residency survey

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RUTH MACLENNAN NOMINATED BY NORDNORSK KUNSTMUSEUM Ruth Maclennan is an artist and researcher based in London and northern Scotland. She has a PhD from the Royal College of Art and is Institute Associate at Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge. She teaches moving image at Central Saint Martins and lectures internationally.

Maclennan exhibits widely internationally, in exhibitions and film festivals, and her work is held in private and public collections. Her art practice includes films, video installations, photographs, writing, drawing and interdisciplinary and collaborative research projects.

For the past ten years Maclennan has been researching experiences of climate heating and geopolitics. Her films and photographs explore how the climate emergency has affected and altered experiences of place and landscape – both for the inhabitants, and as representation.

Maclennan’s film, Treeline (2021) was commissioned by Film and Video Umbrella and Forestry England to coincide with UN Climate Change Conference COP26. It was compiled from hundreds of video clips of forests submitted from around the world in response to an open call. A Forest Tale was filmed in the Boreal forests of Arkhangelsk during a collaborative project with Arctic Art Institute and FVU in December 2021, funded by a British Council Creative Commission for Climate. It received its premiere at the Bodø Biennale, in 2022.

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“The time I spent at Artica has been hugely important to me, both in terms of the people and places and wildlife I encountered, but also for the concentrated, and contemplative time it gave me to focus on my art practice without the professional and domestic demands of home. I am very grateful for the opportunity and for Charlotte and Lisa’s kindness, support, conversations and enthusiasm. It was wonderful to spend time with them both and with the other artists, Nikhil and Rafiki.”

- Ruth Maclennan, post residency survey

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YAMILE CALDERÓN NOMINATED BY THE OFFICE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART NORWAY (OCA) Yamile Calderón is an artist born in Colombia, based in Oslo. She studied photography at Bergen National Academy of Arts. She has recently published her second photo book, Narcos & Homes, and was awarded Bildende Kunstnernes Hjelpefonds (BKH) Fotokunstprisen 2020.

Calderón has participated in various collective exhibitions and has presented her work internationally in Pingyao China, Hong Kong, Helsinki, Copenhagen, Kiel, New York, and Oslo.

In Oslo her work has been presented at Oslo Kunstforerning, Kunstnernes Hus, Noplace, Fotogalleriet, Galleri BOA and Galleri Brandstrup. Calderón’s work is inspired by memories from her childhood and personal stories. By approaching the documentary genre from a subjective perspective, she explores visual and narrative strategies and the interpretation of reality.

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“Even though that I have been in Longyearbyen before and I have an idea of my project, during the days of my stay and my conversation with different actors in Longyearbyen, I started to understand more the place and its complexity, and this helped me to define and shape my project. [...] As the days passed and I got to understand the place better, my project started to change from my interest in landscape and become more political. [...] Time passed fast and definitely I would love to stay twelve weeks instead of six.”

- Yamile Calderón, post residency survey

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HELENE SOMMER NOMINATED BY THE OFFICE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART NORWAY (OCA) Helene Sommer is a visual artist based in Oslo. Through video, text and installation she questions the way we understand and relate to our surroundings and its history, particularly in regard to the premises and politics of the sciences. She is interested in the multiple levels of translation, interpretation and rhetorical devices that are involved in all storytelling. Sommer graduated from the National Academy of Art in Oslo in 2003 and has since shown her work in galleries, museums and festivals.

“As a Norwegian Svalbard seemed weirdly familiar, but at the same time it’s a place entirely different to anywhere else. I felt the need to get a grasp of it, to be able to work here. Talking to people as well as reading books and the local newspaper, helped me along the way. And as many before me, I’m left with the impression of a place filled with puzzling and complex contradictions. [...] At times I had the notion of being in a place oversaturated with storytellers - artists, writers, filmmakers, me being one of them- everyone telling a similar story. I believe it stems from the scale of the place and an aspect of being in a “bubble”, so far from everything.

When the fringe becomes the center, it affects perception, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

Hindsight and distance is helpful though.”

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- Helene Sommer, post residency survey

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NIKHIL VETTUKATTIL NOMINATED BY THE OFFICE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART NORWAY (OCA) Nikhil Vettukattil, born in Bengaluru, India, is a visual artist and writer who lives and works in Oslo. Using a range of media such as sound, installation, performance, text, sculpture, and video, his practice questions modes of representation and image-making processes in their relation to lived experiences.

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He has previously exhibited at venues such as Kunsthall Oslo (2022), Nasjonalmuseet, Oslo (2022), K-U-K, Trondheim (2021), CAPC, Bordeaux (2021), Art Hub Copenhagen (2021), K4 Galleri, Oslo (2021), Louise Dany, Oslo (2020), EKA Gallery, Tallinn (2020), Kristiansand Kunsthall (2020), and Le Bourgeois, London (2019). Forthcoming exhibitions include Counterimaginaries at Tromsø Kunstforening (February 2023), and a duo show with Halvor Rønning at FELIX GAUDLITZ, Vienna (May 2023). He is a member of the art collectives Tenthaus and Carrie, as well as a part of Atelier Kunstnerforbundet and the Institute for Scene Experiments. As part of Tenthaus, he co-curated the MOMENTUM 12 Biennale which opened May 2023.

“This was my first residency and therefore has certainly developed me as an artist. It gave the time and space to focus and reflect on my practice, which I am sure will have an effect in the long term. I gained a great many new experiences socially and I enjoyed getting to know the way of life on the island. It helped me to understand how residencies could play a role in my practice at key moments such as the beginning or end of a project. [...] In my research now I am always noticing references to Spitzbergen or Longyearbyen and its significance in all sorts of academic fields. I think the environment made a big impact on me in a way that is difficult to define. Being exposed to ways of living radically different to my own gave me a new perspective on social and political issues.”

- Nikhil Vettukattil, post residency survey

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RIKKE LUTHER NOMINATED BY NORDIC ALLIANCE OF ARTISTS RESIDENCIES ON CLIMATE ACTION (NAARCA) Rikke Luther is a Danish artist based in Copenhagen. Her current work explores the new interrelations created by environmental crisis as they relate to the Earth System. Those relation compass themes related to landscape, language, politics, financialisation, law, biology, geology and economy, that expressed in drawn images, photography and film.

In 2021 Luther defended her praxis based artistic PhD Concrete Aesthetics: From Universal Rights to Financial Post-Democracy. It was published in 2023 with extended texts by Esther Leslie and Jaime Stapleton.

Luther is a GRASS Fellow at the GRASS Fellow Programme, Uppsala Universitet / Campus Gotland and Baltic Art Center (2022-2024) and is currently conducting field studies for the research project More Mud. The project is commissioned by Art Hub Copenhagen and Nordic Alliance of Artists’ Residencies on Climate Action (NAARCA). More Mud is part of Luther’s postdoctoral The Ocean-Lands: Mud Within the Earth System at Queen Margrethe’s and Vigdís Finnbogadóttir´s Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Ocean, Climate, and Society (ROCS), Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate (CMEC), The Globe Institute, Copenhagen University (2023-2024).

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“Day-after-day here, I take the trip into the fjord, filming the new formations. Blob. Ooze.

Brown tears. Up on the mountain, I film the route the muds take – landslides slip, then creep, every downward. A dribble, then suddenly an ocean falls at speed. Form – once reliably solid – becomes movement. On Svalbard, average temperatures are rising six times the global average. Reading the science papers given to me by colleagues … here, we are already in the year 2103.”

- Rikke Luther, post residency survey

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Community premiere: Screening of documentary The Visitors

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PROJECTS, EVENTS & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Artica is very proudly located in Longyearbyen and we believe in using our unique position to engage, support, challenge and promote discussions and thinking about the Arctic in a creative, welcoming and relaxed environment.

In 2023 we hosted art making workshops for adults and children, talks, film screenings, book launches and artists dinners. We launched Lantern Lectures, a new series of public lectures and welcomed over 200 people to our monthly networking event First Friday Coffee Club. And in Oslo we hosted an exhibition for the first time at the Queen Sonja Print Award gallery space.

Solfestuka 2023 workshop

Monoprint workshop with artist Ellen Edminson

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Quiet Sustainability workshop with social anthropologist Zdenka Sokolíčková

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PROJECTS, EVENTS & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

CHILDREN’S PAPER MAKING WORKSHOP 26 AUGUST 2023 39 Artica hosted a free workshop for children and families where participants could learn how to make new, beautiful paper from old recycled paper. The workshop was originally developed at Cove Park in Scotland as part of the Nordic Alliance in Artists Residencies on Climate Action (NAARCA).

Some of the NAARCA network partners are conducting engagement workshops for young people, families, students and teachers, the workshops will be developed into a pedagogical toolkit that will help share information and influence actions around climate change. This will be produced by the network partners in collaboration with residents, artists, educators, and local communities. The toolkit will be launched in 2024.

Artica collaborated with artist Floortje Zonneveld on planning, preparing and hosting the workshop.

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LANTERN LECTURES OCTOBER 4 - DECEMBER 5 2023 In October Artica launched a new season of lectures that would be hosted throughout the first half of the dark season. The inspiration came 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.

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Artica went on to host 6 lectures from October to December at different venues in Longyearbyen. Artists, writers, scientists, archivists, conservators, trappers and recycling experts were invited to share their knowledge with the audience and invite conversation.

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Ruth Maclennan - artist in residence at Artica screened A Forest Tale.

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Karoline Baelum - presented Farmhamna, one of the last private trapper stations left in Svalbard.

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Haakon Braathu - head of waste management for Lokalstyre presented the challenges with recycling in Longyearbyen.

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Katie Herlingshaw - aurora researcher at UNIS presented why Svalbard is such an important place to observe the northern lights.

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Mikael Bjerkestrand - Archaeologist at Svalbard Museum presented the conservation work they are doing in Rekvika.

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Trine Hamran - writer in residence at Artica presented her on-going research and why she became a writer.

The project was made possible by the support of Fritt Ord.

Karoline Baelum’s lecture at Artica

Mikael Bjerkestrand’s lecture at Longyearbyen library

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Knights Hat -Lepista multiforme, Photo: Reidun Braathen Two Svalbard reindeer fighting over a spot to eat. Photo: Morgan Heim

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ARTICA WRITINGS 2023: FOOD ON SVALBARD Continuing our research around sustainability and environmental responsibility, we wanted to focus on the topic of food on Svalbard for this year’s writing commissions.

“Svalbard’s wildlife is protected, but restricted hunting, trapping and fishing of certain species is permitted. The purpose of managing Svalbard’s fauna is to preserve the native animal population as much as possible.”

- Governor of Svalbard website Longyearbyen has a population of 2,300 people, we have one large supermarket and 15 different restaurants and cafes serving a variety of food and drinks. All the supplies have to be shipped and flown to Svalbard. During hunting season, for those with a licence you can enter a lottery to hunt for reindeer, seal and ptarmigan. In August there are mushrooms to collect and cod to fish.

As the local council and residents begin to plan for an energy transition, it is also important to think about our impact here as a whole. Are there ways to be more sustainable with our food supplies? What could grow here in future?

This collection is available on our website in Norwegian and English and will be produced as a limited print-run publication later in 2024.

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The contributors were: Nikhil Vettukattil, visual artist and writer. Artica resident in 2023. With the essay Recipes for disaster https://www.articasvalbard.no/artica-writings-2023/recipes-for-disaster Maggie Coblentz, interdisciplinary researcher, artist, and designer. With the essay Why are we eating space food on earth?: A performance of fermentation and fieldwork https://www.articasvalbard.no/artica-writings-2023/why-are-we-eating-space-food-on-earth Samantha P. H. Dwinnell, PhD candidate in Arctic Terrestrial biology at UNIS. PhD project (2020-2024): Spatial ecology of Svalbard reindeer. With the essay The Secret to Getting Fat: A glimpse into the foraging habits of Svalbard reindeer https://www.articasvalbard.no/artica-writings-2023/the-secret-to-getting-fat Reidun Braathen and Even W. Hanssen, certified mushroom identification experts for The Norwegian Association for Mycology and Foraging. With the essay Mushrooms in the Ice Desert https://www.articasvalbard.no/artica-writings-2023/mushrooms-in-the-ice-desert

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ARTICA IN RESIDENCE AT QSPA 16 MARCH - 14 MAY 2023 In 2023 Artica was invited by the Queen Sonja Print Foundation to organise an exhibition for the gallery in Oslo.

The exhibition brought together works by some of the past artists, writers and researchers with a focus towards the QSPA residents, who have stayed at Artica in Longyearbyen over the last seven years. Showing mainly works-in-progress, we aimed to highlight that a residency is many things, including the opportunity to think, challenge and inspire. There is no pressure to complete a “finished work”, Artica is a place to test and sometimes fail.

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Alongside the exhibition we had a screening programme of short interview films with artists Ignas Krunglevičius and Jessica MacMillan and hosted an artists talk with Ellen Karin Mæhlum.

Featured Artists 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.

Exhibition preview at QSPA, Oslo

Installation view Photo: Øystein Thorvaldsen

PROJECTS, EVENTS & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

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ANNUAL REPORT 2023

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EVENTS & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

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17 Jan

Film screening: Premiering The Visitors Followed by a panel discussion with Zdenka Sokolíčková, Veronika Lišková, Arild Olsen and Hilde Henningsen, moderated by Kelsey Camacho

3 Feb

First Friday Coffee Club We hosted nine regular networking events, with over 200 people joining throughout the year

16 Feb

Residents Soup Night Community dinner

4 Mar

Solfestuka: Sun Placard workshop for children during the Sun Festival

15 Mar - 14 May

Artica in residence at QSPA Exhibition opening at the Queen Sonja gallery space in Oslo, Artica’s first public exhibition in the city

28 Mar

Artist in Residence Talk with Åse Kristine Tveit at Longyearbyen Library

18 Apr

Artist in Residence Talk with Kristin Folsland Olsen at Svalbard Folkehøgskole

22 Apr

Monoprint workshop for adults at Artica

2 May

Studio Visit The Arctic Circle residency groups

5 May

Residents dinner Community dinner

10 May

Artist Talk with Ellen Karin Mæhlum hosted at QSPA in Oslo

18 Aug

Residents dinner Community dinner

First Friday coffee club at Artica

The Visitors panel discussion at Longyear

rbyen Kulturhus

PROJECTS, EVENTS & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

25 Aug

Residency Artists film night

26 Aug

Paper making workshop for children at Artica

30 Aug

Studio Visit UiT: Landscape Architecture

5 Sep

Workshop SINTEF lead ClimaRest project

3 Oct

Lantern Lecture: Ruth Maclennan hosted at Nordover Arts Centre

17 Oct

Lantern Lecture: Karoline Baelum hosted at Artica

21 Oct

Print workshop for adults with artist Ellen Edminson

25 Oct

Book launch Paradox of Svalbard talk by Zdenka Sokolíčková, hosted at Longyearbyen Library

28 Oct

Ethnographic workshop “Quiet Sustainability” with Zdenka Sokolíčková

31 Oct

Lantern Lecture: Haakon Braathu hosted at Artica

14 Nov

Lantern Lecture: Katie Herlingshaw hosted at Artica

28 Nov

Lantern Lecture: Svalbard Museum hosted at Longyearbyen Library

5 Dec

Lantern Lecture: Trine Hamran hosted at Longyearbyen Library

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Monoprinting workshop at Artica

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AUDIENCE IN NUMBERS Artica’s place within our local community has strengthened over the last three years. We have consistently grown audience participation at talks, workshops, events, and we will continue to provide engaging, challenging, and relevant programming in future. In 2023 our local audience engagement has had considerable growth. Our events had a combined attendance of 1,793 people (an increase of 83% from 2022).

TOTAL IN PERSON ATTENDANCE 2023: 48

1793

LAUNCHED NEW LECTURE SERIES ATTENDING BY:

236

PROJECTS, EVENTS & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

ARTICA EXHIBITION IN OSLO ATTENDED BY

628

HOSTED

5

WORKSHOPS FOR CHILDREN & ADULTS

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HOSTED

6

RESIDENT TALKS & COMMUNITY DINNERS

FIRST FRIDAY COFFEE CLUB NETWORKING EVENT:

214

ANNUAL REPORT 2023

OUR RESIDENTS 2023

COMMUNICATIONS & DIGITAL During 2023 artist interviews, essay commissions, podcasts and other online content were produced. There was continued growth on all social media platforms. Website visitors from the start of the year to date are 17,231 (+20% increase from 2022) and page views are 36,707 (+23% increase from 2022).

DIGITAL IN NUMBERS: Website: Over 17,000 unique visitors in 2023 with top visits from Norway, United States and United Kingdom Podcast listens to date: Artica podcasts: 631 in 33 countries NAARCA podcast, Testing Grounds: 4,233 in 55 countries

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Film views to date (all films): 16.2k (+34% increase from 2022) in 94 countries

SOCIAL MEDIA Facebook: 4100 followers, 252 new followers in 2023 3700 likes, 204 new page likes in 2023 Instagram followers: 4742 (to date) and our average monthly reach to followers and non-followers is 4112 Twitter: 731 impressions per month (average)

PUBLICATIONS This year we produced the second printed version of the Artica Writings series. Entitled Return to Nature?: The Transformation of a Post-Coal Mining Landscape, the book features four commissioned essays by leading experts from the Nordics who discuss the Svea environmental clean-up project and its related issues. The book has been designed by City Edition Studio, and the ink used to print the covers of this book was made from coal taken from Sveagruva. It was ground down to a particle size below 100μm and mixed with a transparent ink base which was then used to print the covers on a pedal-operated printing press in Bristol, UK.

COMMUNICATIONS & DIGITAL

WEDS 4. OCT, 18:00, NORDOVER

TUES 17. OCT, 18:00, ARTICA

TUES 31. OCT, 18:00, ARTICA

Ruth Maclennan, artist in

residence at Artica presents an overview of her practice followed by a screening of her film A Forest Tale (2021)

Karoline Baelum presents Stories from Farmhamna: Our journey from normal Longyearbyen residents to full time trappers and back again

Haakon Braathu, Head of waste

(talk presented in English)

(talk presented in English)

(talk presented in English)

TUES 14. NOV, 18:00, ARTICA

TUES 28. NOV, 18:00, LONGYEARBYEN LIBRARY

TUES 5. DEC, 18:00, LONGYEARBYEN LIBRARY

Svalbard Museum presents Arkelogiske utgravninger og flytting av pomorhytta i Rekvika

Trine Hamran, writer in residence at Artica presents Kald krig, død og kjærlighet

(talk presented in English)

(talk presented in Norwegian)

(talk presented in Norwegian)

All events are free.

Visit ARTICASVALBARD.NO for full details of our speakers and each lecture

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Artica Writings publication, designed by City Edition Studio

Katie Herlingshaw, aurora researcher at UNIS, presents Svalbard Aurora Chasers

management for Lokalstyre presents Trash Talk! How to recycle on Svalbard and what you’re doing wrong

ANNUAL REPORT 2023

ResArtis conference workshop hosted by ActionSpace

ResArtis annual conference hosted in London

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COMMUNICATIONS & DIGITAL

CONFERENCES In September Artica’s director Charlotte Hetherington attended the annual ResArtis conference hosted in London. Mind the Gap: Designing Residencies for Everyone, brought together over 200 artists, residency providers and leading cultural mobility experts to chart a future for impactful residency opportunities, with a focus on optimism and practical working solutions for issues facing the sector.

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In November, Charlotte was invited as a guest speaker to the International Curatorial Forum, a new International Contemporary Art in Heritage Network that will bring together UK and overseas academics, curators, artists, heritage and historic landscape organisations, and museum sites, to exchange and explore international and transnational approaches to contemporary art in heritage practice. The network will extend the interdisciplinary study of contemporary art in heritage practice, initiating the first international mapping and global overview of this field. Funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council, the project is led and delivered by Newcastle University in partnership with the National Trust, International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, Artists’ Studio Museum Network, and Arts&Heritage.

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ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND ACTION PLAN In 2023, Artica initiated the development of an environmental policy and action plan, marking the beginning of a dedicated effort to address environmental challenges. As an organisation based in the Arctic, we are committed to environmental responsibility and actively share insights from successful changes. We are members of the Gallery Climate Coalition, benefiting from practical guidance, research, and a user-friendly Carbon Calculator tool to guide our ongoing journey toward sustainability.

The world is facing a series of linked environmental crises, as highlighted by the UN’s October 2022 warning that governments are not on track to limit global heating below 1.5 degrees. On Svalbard, where Artica is based, we witness warming six times faster than the global average, compelling urgent action.

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Acknowledging the significant environmental impact of arts organisations, particularly in the Global North, we recognise the need for immediate measures to reduce international travel and energy/material consumption. Leveraging our influence, we strive to set a positive example, encouraging others to join the cause and contribute to the public debate on environmental responsibility.

Addressing our direct environmental impacts, we commit to annually calculate and track our carbon footprint so that we can at least halve our carbon emissions by 2030. We promote longer resident stays, enhancing awareness of environmental policies, and transitioning towards zero-waste operations by 2030.

We have set these targets and are taking actions in the knowledge that we aren’t yet doing everything right. We still have a great deal to do and much to learn.

We welcome feedback from our residents, community, audience and network on this environmental statement, our targets, and on our plans for action.

PROJECTS, EVENTS & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

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FUTURE PROGRAMME

FUTURE PROGRAMME During 2024 we will be researching new partnerships and collaborations in line with our strategy and core values, to offer three new residencies in 2025. We will build upon the ongoing partnerships and strengthen our place within the North, Arctic regions and nationally, working with new partners in Norway and beyond.

We will also continue to provide a public programme of dynamic, engaging and inspirational talks, workshops, and larger-scale art events with local and international partners.

NOMINATED RESIDENTS IN 2024: NFFO Roald Berg, Erlend Harvold Kvangraven, Ellen Viste

57 Queen Sonja Print Award Ellen Heck, Januario Jano, Cathrine Alice Liberg Office for Contemporary Art Norway (OCA) Kamil Kak, Mhairi Killin, Natassja Simensky Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum (NNKM) Liryc Dela Cruz

ANNUAL REPORT 2023

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PLANS FOR 2024 ARTICA LISTENS 2024: CLIMATE RIGHTS 23.11.2024 - 12.01.2025, Stormen Kunst, Bodø An exhibition and assembly by Artica Svalbard and Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum, in collaboration with Stormen Kunst/dájdda Artica Listens 2024 is a dynamic exploration of climate justice, art, and activism, curated by research agency INTEPRT. The arctic assembly invites engaging discussions on pressing themes: the Fosen case, Øyfjellet case, and People v Arctic oil. The immersive exhibition unveils INTERPRT’s work on land rights and climate activism, showcasing evidence, stories, and visual narratives from global climate justice battles. Through a thought provoking program of talks, panels, and workshops, we aim to stimulate vibrant debate on climate change, indigenous rights, and the urgent need for action.

YOUNG ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISTS COMPETITION 58

In January 2024 Artica and Svalbardposten launched a new competition for Longyearbyen residents aged 14 - 20, who are interested in writing about climate and the environment from their perspective. We are looking for future journalists, with a passion for where they live, the nature they’re surrounded by and the complex situation that brings.

Participants can attend a series of three workshops hosted by people working within the sector today, to gain knowledge and feedback on how to research, develop, interview and fact-check their work.

The final 1800 word piece will be submitted for review by an experienced panel of judges, and the winning three texts will be published via Artica’s website and Svalbardposten.

ARTICA WRITINGS 2024 In the remote Arctic expanse, Svalbard stands as a unique haven under Norway’s watchful eye. While the community is rooted in Norwegian resilience, this year’s Artica Writings essay collection aims to spotlight a different narrative – the stories of non-Norwegian Svalbardians.

With a population where over one-third is composed of international residents, these essays delve into personal histories, tracing individuals from diverse corners of the globe who now call Svalbard home.

Through these narratives, we witness the triumphs and tribulations of individuals navigating the icy terrain of identity and belonging. The essays provide a profound understanding of the courage it takes to flourish in a town where the cultural fabric is woven with the threads of Norwegian heritage.

PLANS FOR 2024

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ANNUAL REPORT 2023

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60 Ramona Salo Myrseth and Katarina Skår Lisa, performace at Our Arctic Archive, Nordover Photo: Maria Philippa Rossi

Film still: Utopias and Dystopias in Modernity, Ingrid Wildi Merino. Museum of Contemporary Art in Santiago de Chile

PLANS FOR 2024

NEWS FROM ARTICA’S ALUMNI Poet Montaser Abdel Mawjood Hassan left Egypt after his work led to accusations of blasphemy, facing subsequent threats he moved to Trondheim. During his residency at Artica he wrote The Solitude of the Archipelago, Svalbard Diaries, which will be published in Arabic in 2024.

Chilean artist Ingrid Wildi Merino created Utopias and Dystopias in Modernity, a film exploring the notions of progress and utopias in connection with extractive processes for raw materials in marketing. The film is part of her solo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Santiago de Chile, running until January 2024.

Showcasing works by past Artica residents Ramona Salo Myrseth and Katarina Skår Lisa, Artica’s Key Partner Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum returned to Longyearbyen in November 2023 to open a new exhibition Our Arctic Archive at Nordover arts centre. The exhibition featured works created during their residency at Artica in 2021.

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In April 2024 Maritea Dæhlin, will present her newest project Sleep locks the bones, a sound installation where text and voice are central to a collective experience around the theme of sleep. The texts were developed and written during her residency at Artica in January 2023. It premieres in Oslo at Kunstnernes Hus in March and Black Box Theatre in April, and was made in collaboration with Kunstnernes Hus, Black Box Theatre and Nordic Black Theatre.

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Left to Right: Moa Björnson, Jan Martin Berg, Anne Berit Figenschau, Charlotte Hetherington, Lisa Bakk Bøen, Susanne Kaluza, Robert Johansen, Ina Otzko

STAFFING AND GOVERNANCE

STAFFING AND GOVERNANCE STAFF Charlotte Hetherington - Director Lisa Bakk Bøen - Residency and Studio Coordinator Our gratitude goes out to Artica’s wider network who supported our activities in 2023.

THE BOARD In January 2024 Artica announced the appointment of a new deputy board member, Robert Johansen, founder and director of Svalbard Brewery.

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Anne Berit Figenschau, Chair of the Board, Director of Tax North, based in Tromsø.

Jan Martin Berg, independent art consultant based in Tromsø.

Moa Björnson, kaospilot, working with urban and rural development and placemaking, based in Træna and Bodø.

Susanne Kaluza, CEO of the House of Literature Foundation in Oslo Sveinung Lystrup Thesen, Deputy member, property manager at Store Norske in Longyearbyen (stepped down in September 2023) Ina Otzko, Visual artist and board member for Nord-Norske Bildende Kunstnere based in Longyearbyen.

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KEY PARTNERS

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Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum (NNKM) serves the regions of Troms, Finnmark and Nordland, as well as Svalbard. The museum plays a significant role in Norway, the Nordic, circumpolar and international art world. Central to the museum is the safeguarding, research and activation of a collection of over 2,225 works by artists from the 17th century to the present day. There is an increasing presence of Sami daiddars and duojár in our collection.

We are also strongly present and concerned with social/climate justice and transformation. The museum has programming responsibility for the newly started Nordover Art Center and is a key partner in the artist residency Artica Svalbard (Longyearbyen, Svalbard), which makes NNKM exceptional when it comes to operating so close to the North Pole. NNKM already has offices in Bodø and will open NNKM Bodø in 2024.

We are also working towards a new museum building in Tromsø in collaboration with Tromsø municipality and the Arctic Philharmonic.

The Norwegian Nonfiction Writers’ and Translators’ Association (NFFO) is a trade union for nonfiction authors and translators of nonfiction. As of 2022, NFFO has 5,000 members spread across Norway who work in all fields within non-fiction: specialist books, general non-fiction, textbooks, biography, travelogues, debate books, cookbooks, essays - and also translators of nonfiction.

KEY PARTNERS

Office for Contemporary Art Norway (OCA) is a nonprofit foundation created in 2001 by the Norwegian Ministries of Culture and of Foreign Affairs. Its principal aim is to foster dialogue between art practitioners in Norway and the international arts scene, and to support artists and cultural practitioners based in Norway in their activities around the world. To this end, OCA’s discursive, exhibition, publication, residency (in Oslo and internationally) and visitor research programmes focus on bringing to Norway the plurality of practises and histories at the forefront of international artistic debates; they are very involved with actively participating in such debates nationally and internationally. OCA has been responsible for Norway’s contribution to the visual arts section of La Biennale di Venezia since 2001. In the forthcoming 2022 edition the Nordic Pavilion will be transformed into the Sámi Pavilion featuring artists from all sides of the Nordic nation state borders that divide Sápmi.

The Queen Sonja Print Award (QSPA) was founded in 2011 by HM Queen Sonja of Norway and the renowned Norwegian artists Kjell Nupen and Ørnulf Opdahl, together with master printer Ole Larsen (of Helsingborg, Sweden). The QSPA Foundation’s objective is to generate interest in and elevate contemporary graphic art, especially among emerging artists. The Foundation wishes to encourage the art of printmaking and inspire ambitious artists to establish themselves on the international art scene.

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The QSPA selects three awardees biannually. QSPA Inspirational Award is awarded to a young promising graphic artist from a Nordic country, an artist still in education or one who has just finished his/her art training. Queen Sonja Print Award, currently the world’s largest international print award, is given to an artist who has excelled in the printmaking field. QSPA Lifetime Achievement Award is a celebration of an artist’s career and lifetime contribution to graphic art and printmaking. The QSPA Foundation collaborates with prominent museums, artists, curators and fine art print publishers from around the world in order to support and stimulate this important artistic field.

ANNUAL REPORT 2023

THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING FUNDERS AND SUPPORTERS