Domesticity III

Lucie Fontaine is pleased to present “Domesticity III” a group exhibition showcased in various locations of Iaspis. The third iteration of a project previously presented in Prague and Miami, this exhibition will include works by Johanna Gustafsson Fürst, Karl Holmqvist, Nanna Nordström, Alice Tomaselli, Ylva Trapp, Gabriela Vanga, and Ying Bo.

The starting point of “Domesticity” is the relationship – of lack thereof – between contemporary art and domestic spaces. The third iteration specifically reflects on this issue within the Swedish context and particularly within the context of Iaspis where Lucie Fontaine has been a grant holder from March 13 to June 13 2012.

The starting point of “Domesticity III” is the practice of Swedish artist and former Iaspis artist-in-residence Ylva Trapp, who over the last few years has been making autobiographical works that through various forms and media analyze the current state of the real estate business in Stockholm and how the attitude towards housing and private property has been the subject of major shifts in Swedish society, particularly in the capital city. Her work Jag har kvar alla mina nycklar (I’ve kept all my keys) - avgjutningar av nycklar till andrahandslägenheter (castings of keys of sublet apartments) – on view in one of Iaspis’ offices – consists of casts the artist made by memory of the keys of all the houses she has lived in since she moved away from home.

Mirroring Lucie Fontaine’s interest in the structure of Iaspis – its being both a governmental agency, and as such a public space, and an artist residency hosting artistic working processes housed in the symbolically more private space of the artist studio – is the inclusion of works by Johanna Gustafsson Fürst, Karl Holmqvist, Nanna Nordström, Alice Tomaselli and Gabriela Vanga.

In their individual practices artists Johanna Gustafsson Fürst and Nanna Nordström share a deep awareness of how once displayed in the exhibition space the work of art can loose its energy and strength. Trying to negotiate this issue, the artists – who have studios at Iaspis – have been in conversation with each other and with the employees of Lucie Fontaine in order to find ways to present their works in a context that is part of the artwork itself, adding a new layer of meaning to the work.

Lucie Fontaine has included two works in the exhibition, by Karl Holmqvist and Gabriela Vanga, which are part of the collection of objects, artworks and artifacts left at Iaspis by the artists who have been part of the residency program over the years. While Holmqvist left a light box in the kitchen featuring personal images – Untitled, 1998 – Vanga left the poster for Sarmale, a workshop she did at Iaspis in 2005, which takes the name from a famous Romanian dish that is traditionally prepared for an entire family.

Alice Tomaselli’s site-specific intervention – a handmade curtain to be displayed behind the glass door of the office of the director of Iaspis Lisa Rosendahl – underlines the architectural difference between the work spaces of the Iaspis employees – whose offices have transparent doors – and those of the artists-in-residence – whose studios are of a more private nature and closed off to the public eye.

The last artist invited is Ying Bo, who became famous for the work she presented at the 1999 Venice Biennale directed by Harald Szeemann. According to rumors Ying Bo is not a real artist but instead a fictional character created by artist and Szeemann’s widow Ingeborg Lüscher. The same work she presented in Venice – entitled Fei-Ya! Fei-Ya! - Fly Fly (Our Chinese Friends) – will be displayed in the Iaspis library and archive where people can browse material about all the former residents. 

Lucie Fontaine’s Stockholm satellite is located at her temporary studio at Iaspis, on Maria Skolgata 83, and is open from Monday to Friday from 9 am to noon and from 1 pm to 5 pm or by appointment. If you need further information please contact Lucie Fontaine’s employees: employee@luciefontaine.com.