Ålgården Konstnärernas Verkstäder & Galleri (artists workshops and gallery) is located in Borås, Sweden. They have several printing workshops, two apartments for residencies and other facilities as well as an extraordinary gallery space in an old power station by the river Viskan. I stayed there for three nights installing and attending the opening and had a lovely time. Borås turned out to be a beautiful city with a lively cultural life. Anna Maria Ekman from the gallery let me into the local art museum Wärenstams after hours.
Many interesting artists have exhibited in the gallery through the years. It was fun to see the old posters on the wall of the cosy kitchen including Theo Ågrens who is an old friend of mine from my academy years.
Gunnar Bergh from the gallery was very helpful. We had to drill and plug the thick stone walls to install the works. An art critic from Helsingborg Dagblad came the day before the opening and asked a lot of questions.
The old staircase dominating the space was really beautiful. I ventured up the stairs to see the exhibition from above. It was very scary.
There was a nice opening reception. My friend Theo lives between Borås and Göteborg and he drove all the way, which I really appreciated. After a while, we moved into the kitchen where we had coffee and home-baked cake. Afterwards, I went into the city and had a shrimp sandwich and beer at the press pub.
Here is documentation of the exhibition.
Here's the review. I think it was a very good one. The header reads "Low-key art that demands the viewer's concentration" and the preamble "In Ålgården gallery, Johan Söderström's minimalist art spreads a meditative, serene atmosphere. But amid all the low-keyness, Inger Landström is struck by an insight that feels like a fist blow to the stomach.”
Order the poster below.
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