Carina Gunnars, (akcg) graduated from Umeå Academy of Fine Arts, Umeå University in 1996. Worked for three years at Gallery Index in Stockholm as a ”house artist” making video-lounges with a program and as a ”host” in the weekends. I also worked in a museum as a guard/care-taker during the first year after my master degree. I have been teaching in art-schools, giving lectures and workshops since that time too.
Anna Kindgren, (akcg) graduated from Umeå Academy of Fine Arts, Umeå University, Sweden 2007. Since I graduated I have had teaching jobs, made workshops, lectures, jury work at different art academies and preparatory art schools. Alongside with this I have been working part time at an art museum, doing different tasks from making signs, guiding, office work, sales work, guard etc.
We have been working with art commissions, teaching, writing texts and making video works and exhibitions. Since we graduated, alongside our art practice we had different jobs that has in periods paid for our living costs. When we worked together with two other artists in love and devotion, a group/project consisting of four artists, that existed between 2000 – 2006, we managed to work without having our own space. We always worked at the place we were invited to. This meant we did not have to pay for a studio or a space. Other costs we always divided by four. This kept our expenses quite low and so partly prevented us from having to take full time jobs outside of the art context. We were also lucky to get individual scholarships from the Swedish state. After love and devotion ended in 2006, we, akcg, continued to work together as artists. Since a year we have a studio of our own, for the first time since we graduated. It is expensive, but we do have a subsidy from the city of Stockholm that covers some of the rent. Without this we could not pay for a studio and Stockholm is becoming more and more gentrified with high rents. Teaching is definitely a way to combine working as an artist and using the skills and experiences you have as an artist. The teaching and the lecturing has been directly connected to our art practice. The museum job is more of giving another perspective on the same field. Any working experiences outside of the immediate art context is always interesting and it is good the keep in touch with this. But it is also possible to get some of these experiences from working with art in societal situations. The conditions for everyone in Sweden are changing dramatically due to the neoliberal hegemony that kicked in after the last elections in 2006. It has been going on for a long time but it is now ”implemented”, to use a word from the management culture. This is having effects on the art context and the art educations that will change the landscape radically. Art that doesn’t feed itself on the market will most probably have less support from the political agenda. This also changes how much art it is possible to bring into different work situations from teaching to museum jobs. Design, we sometimes feel, is the new ”art” or instead of art - without friction, which doesn´t criticize, which make more things, or sellable ideas meaning cash cash cash. In Sweden it is possible to earn money from official art commissions and it is also possible to apply for grants. But of course this is not something that is guaranteed but something that has been very important for artists and is great when it happens. We got a new art commission a few weeks ago and that will keep us alive for another period of time. So we´ll see what happens next…
17.04.2010
Anna Kindgren, (akcg) graduated from Umeå Academy of Fine Arts, Umeå University, Sweden 2007. Since I graduated I have had teaching jobs, made workshops, lectures, jury work at different art academies and preparatory art schools. Alongside with this I have been working part time at an art museum, doing different tasks from making signs, guiding, office work, sales work, guard etc.
We have been working with art commissions, teaching, writing texts and making video works and exhibitions. Since we graduated, alongside our art practice we had different jobs that has in periods paid for our living costs. When we worked together with two other artists in love and devotion, a group/project consisting of four artists, that existed between 2000 – 2006, we managed to work without having our own space. We always worked at the place we were invited to. This meant we did not have to pay for a studio or a space. Other costs we always divided by four. This kept our expenses quite low and so partly prevented us from having to take full time jobs outside of the art context. We were also lucky to get individual scholarships from the Swedish state. After love and devotion ended in 2006, we, akcg, continued to work together as artists. Since a year we have a studio of our own, for the first time since we graduated. It is expensive, but we do have a subsidy from the city of Stockholm that covers some of the rent. Without this we could not pay for a studio and Stockholm is becoming more and more gentrified with high rents. Teaching is definitely a way to combine working as an artist and using the skills and experiences you have as an artist. The teaching and the lecturing has been directly connected to our art practice. The museum job is more of giving another perspective on the same field. Any working experiences outside of the immediate art context is always interesting and it is good the keep in touch with this. But it is also possible to get some of these experiences from working with art in societal situations. The conditions for everyone in Sweden are changing dramatically due to the neoliberal hegemony that kicked in after the last elections in 2006. It has been going on for a long time but it is now ”implemented”, to use a word from the management culture. This is having effects on the art context and the art educations that will change the landscape radically. Art that doesn’t feed itself on the market will most probably have less support from the political agenda. This also changes how much art it is possible to bring into different work situations from teaching to museum jobs. Design, we sometimes feel, is the new ”art” or instead of art - without friction, which doesn´t criticize, which make more things, or sellable ideas meaning cash cash cash. In Sweden it is possible to earn money from official art commissions and it is also possible to apply for grants. But of course this is not something that is guaranteed but something that has been very important for artists and is great when it happens. We got a new art commission a few weeks ago and that will keep us alive for another period of time. So we´ll see what happens next…
17.04.2010
