the Artist's club / Konstnärsklubben / 2003

This is a sound installation with recorded phone conversations with members of Konstnärsklubben in Stockholm. The club dates back to 1856. The members meet every Thursday to listen to lectures, eat, and drink. The tables are covered in white paper so they can sketch each other. The members have a shared grave for those who wish to be buried there. New members have to go through an initiation rite with songs and toasts from a special goblet. Their accumulated capital amounted to 120 million Swedish kronor in 2004. The club grants scholarships. Female artists are traditionally excluded.

The installation ran at Konstfack in 2003. It has also been shown at Norrköpings Konstmuseum, Moderna museet in Stockholm, http://www.modernamuseet.se/v4/templates/template3.asp?id=2316, Genus & Media and Galleri Box in Gothenburg.

Dan
Tomas
Örström
Jens
Ruben
Gunnar

Questions posed:

1. What do you do at the club?
2. Why not change the rules and let women join?
3. If the club is going to keep its rules, isn’t it time to change the name?
4. Can I lecture at the club?

Konstnärsklubben, one big family
A 45-minute documentary on the club. The programme is based on interviews, phone calls and archive material. Nominated for Reportage of the Year 2003 (Stora Radiopriset)

Available at SRc:
http://www.sr.se/p1/src/texter/brev/031013.html