1 October-27 November 2016

Staffan Nihlén. Sculpture

Lunds konsthall is very pleased to open two exhibitions now. One is about Staffan Nihlén and is in response to requests from many visitors. It takes place in the lower galleries. The other is an in-depth presentation of artists’ books and is shown in the upper gallery.

Skulpturer på pelare i en stor sal.

Nihlén’s stone sculptures appear to be both well-planned and instantaneous. It is as if the stone shapes are incubating hidden stories—ones that the artist coaxes out of the stone mass. Nihlén describes how he stopped using ready-made blocks of stone and instead sought out rocks in natural settings. In these irregular shapes he finds an appeal that is nature’s own. “It is not always obvious what already existed in the stone and what I have brought forth from its interior myself,” he says, affirming an open work process in which artistic expression and Nature’s own deposits meet in the finished work of art. A similar process is found in the earlier wood and metal sculptures that reuse remnants of the industrial age.

This exhibition focuses mainly on Nihlén’s sculptures and includes both new and older works. A separate artist’s book, produced for the parallel exhibition, presents the artist’s many years of work with texts and drawings.
Artists’ books are an art form practised by many artists. An artist’s book can appear in many guises but its key characteristic is that it has been compiled by an artist and is sometimes completely handmade. The edition is limited and there may only be a single unique copy. An artist’s book is more than just a book with illustrations by an artist; the entire product is a cohesive work of art.

We are now exhibiting over 100 artists, a handful of whom have contributed completely new works. The exhibition also includes historical material that stretches back to the period after World War II, when the world seriously began to regard bookmaking as an artistic form of expression. The curator is Thomas Millroth.

The exhibition coincides with the 250th anniversary of the Swedish Press Act, which guaranteed freedom of the press in Sweden. In view of this we would also like to draw attention to our small book room of literature relating to the gallery’s exhibitions.

Participating artists in the Artists' Books exhibition are: Patrik Aarnivaara, Mette Aarre, Lene Adler Petersen, Bengt Adlers, Leontine Arvidsson, Mats B, Kristina Bengtsson, Vilhelm Bjerke-Petersen, Robin Blom, Håkan Blomkvist, Marie Bonfils, Bo Cavefors förlag (Bo Cavefors), Annelise Bock, Nadja Bournonville, Nina Canell, Inger Christensen, Andrea Creutz, Kajsa Dahlberg, Sven Dalsgård, Nanna Debois Buhl, Guillermo Deissler, Drakabygget (Jørgen Nash m.fl.), Axel Ebbe, Gerhild Ebel, Ed. Sellem (Jean Sellem), Ditte Ejlerskov, Celie Eklund, Lars Embäck, Elke Erb, Leif Eriksson, Linnéa Eriksson, Karolina Erlingsson, Fabrik (Sara Gunn, Jenny Rosengren), Maria Finn, Johan Furåker, Förlaget Gestus, Meng & Hald, Sara Gunn, Owe Gustafsson, Karin Hald, Christel Hanson, Maj Hasager, Helhesten Forlag, Jens Henricson, Hour Editions, CO Hultén, Hyena (Celie Eklund, Ella Tillema, Emma Tryti, Robin Blom), Anna Högberg, Image Förlag (CO Hultén), Gabriella Ioannides, Peter Johansson, Sven-Åke Johansson, Asger Jorn, Helena Jureén, Kalejdoskop (Nordgren), Per Kirkeby, Mathias Kristersson, Tom Krøjer, Kvinder på Værtshus, Eric Lennarth, Axel Lieber, EvaMarie Lindahl, Jeannette Lindstedt, Jonas Liveröd, Bertil Lundberg, Annika Lundgren, Angus MacInnes, Carl Magnus, Martin Bryder, Lena Mattsson, John Melin, Cecilie Meng, Harry Moberg, Sirous Namazi, Jørgen Nash, Annelie Nilsson, Anna Nordquist Andersson, Thord Norman, Officin (Louise Hold Sidenius), Vera Ohlsson, Papi (Woodpecker Projects), Carl Henning Pedersen, Gert Petersson, Gunnel Pettersson, Pist Protta (Jesper Fabricius), Lea Porsager, Publikation () (Annelie Nilsson, Susann Rönnertz), Marie Raffn, Leo Reis, Torsten Ridell, Cia Rinne, Jenny Rosengren, Susann Rönnertz, Katya Sander, Marika Seidler, Vassil Simittchiev, Wolfgang Smy, Hardy Strid, Trine Struwe Hansen, Lisa Strömbeck, David Svensson, Johan Svensson, Lasse Söderberg, Magnus Thierfelder, Ida Thunström, Ella Tillema, Ulf Trotzig, Emma Tryti, Fredrik Værslev, Sara Wallgren, Uwe Warnke, Robin Watkins, Wedgepress & Cheese (Leif Eriksson), Lars Vilks, Mette Winckelman, Gro Vive (Richard Winther), Ruth Wolf Rehfeldt, Woodpecker Projects (Ditte Ejlerskov, Jens Henricson, Jerker Knape), Richard Årlin, Anders Österlin

Curator: Emil Nilsson

Photographer: Olof Broström