What is the state of contemporary art in 2009? To find out, our curator Camilla Larsson spent the past year visiting artists in their studios. On 29 April the result of this year’s investigation will be presented, revealing a connection between emerging contemporary artists and the Swedish art world of the early 1980s. Work by 11 artists, all at the beginning of their careers, will be displayed in the Rummaging exhibition that unites both the ‘80s and the ‘00s, as well as form and relationships. The participating artists and their predecessors share an interest in space, form and material. Just as in the ‘80s, today’s artists explore art’s proximity to choreography, music and new media, as well as viewing art as a possible meeting place. Rummaging combines monumental installations, ambiguous sculptures, real-time videos and shadow plays. As viewers we are invited to step into the physically tangible works in the exhibition.

Rummaging’s retake on a bit of the 1980s should not be understood as a nostalgic looking back and a longing to regain lost ground. Nor is it as an attempt to re-establish power positions and taste hierarchies that have already been renegotiated. Rather, it is a gesture that, on the contrary, short-circuits all notions of linear development.

Camilla Larsson, Curator

The exhibition is part of Bonniers Konsthall’s commitment to young Swedish contemporary art, which springs from the Maria Bonnier Dahlin Foundation’s tradition of supporting young visual artists and artistic work. The Foundation, which is the basis of Bonniers Konsthall, has awarded grants to young Swedish artists every year since 1985.