For the second year, ICI and Coast Contemporary partnered to invite our alumni and collaborators to participate in the 2024 edition of Coast Contemporary as Curatorial Research Travelers. The three selected curators, Ece Pazarbaşı (Curatorial Intensive alum, New York 2014), Viviana Checchia (Curatorial Intensive alum, Derry-Londonderry 2013), and Sara Garzón (ICI collaborator), joined Norwegian and international cultural workers for a multi-day program of performances, talks, and screenings. Entitled "Art on Food," the 2024 edition focused on cooking and eating together as a point of assembly and discourse, and featured the work of artists and curators who are working with food as (or in) "art, food-activism, experimental cooking, BioArt, degrowth, books, harvesting, the politics of food, heritage, agriculture, slow and fast food, the love for nature, animals and earth."
Some of the events included a food performance by Karoline Sætre and Øyvind Novak Jenssen where, as Ece Pazarbaşi describes, "they crafted the most delicious salad using local herbs collected during the performance, turning the whole experience into a celebration of nature and community. An inspiring, joyful moment from a day full of creativity and site visits!" In Edgar Calel’s exhibition Ni Musmut (It’s Breezing), the Research Travelers visited Kunstall Bergen for a "powerful connection to the earth and primal elements in this space triggered emotions that reached deep into our collective memory." As Viviana Checchia explains, "nomadic curatorial gatherings such as Coast Contemporary and ICI’s Curatorial Intensive program can be pivotal for those working in our field...opportunities like those can entirely change one’s personal and professional trajectory."
Coast Contemporary is a nomadic platform for discourse and art that brings together Norwegian and international curators, artists, and cultural workers for a multi-day program of performances, talks, screenings, and a conference program along the coast of Norway. Coast Contemporary fosters international exchange between colleagues and prospective collaborators by slowing down and making space for new connections. The venues and curatorial focus change for every edition. Participating artists and curators range in background and experience level, including independent curators and representatives of small, artist-run spaces as well as established institutions.
Founder and artist Tanja Sæter is the Artistic Director for edition eight and selected this year’s curatorial focus. Several institutions, artists, and curators are invited to join and contribute to the program development in various ways. Coast has been arranged like this for most editions and it is encouraged for all to contribute and take part. Artist Kenneth Varpe is in charge of digital presentations during Coast and has arranged every edition with Sæter since 2017.
This program is made possible with the support of the Norwegian Consulate General, NorwayInUK, and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For more information on previous programs, participating artists and institutions, or questions about the upcoming edition, please visit coastcontemporary.no or email office@coastcontemporary.no.
