On the 11th of february Konstfrämjandet Gotland, Gotland Art Museum and Gotlandståget opens an exhibition at Konstfrämjandet Central in Stockholm. The exhibition depicts a story about a classic meeting of strangers on a train journey,and of the trains role historically and in relation to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Through the window at Konstfrämjandet Central's office in Stockholm, you will see elements from the exhibition I DIN TID (In your time) which was presented along the 6.5km long veteran railway that runs between Roma and Dalhem on the middle of Gotland in September 2024. The exhibition included works by local, national and international artists who were invited to investigate what arises in the encounter with the veteran railway as a place and a context. Among other things, the artists were interested in the history of trains and industry, the relationship between rural and urban places, as well as the duplicitous nature of time and nostalgia. The exhibition consisted of newly produced, site- and situation-specific works in the form of performance, video, sculpture, installation, objects and text works. In Stockholm, contributions from Ukrainian artist Katya Buchatska and Ukrainian writer and curator Borys Filenenko will be presented during February and March.
Buchatska’s participation in I DIN TID consisted of the work Night Stay, where the artist staged a Ukrainian long distance train carriage in the middle of the living room of the old station master's house at Tule Station. The room is kept in 1940s décor, a time when Europe was at war. Through an open call, three Gotlanders were invited to spend 24 hours in the ‘train compartment’ together with the artist, as if they were strangers who had met on a long-distance over night train journey. In Konstfrämjandet's window, documentation from Night Stay of various kinds is presented, next to mix of antique and new objects that refer to train history both in Ukraine and on Gotland.
In the window you will also find a small monitor playing the subtitled lecture ‘Ukrainian railways – from the future to the present’ by Ukrainian writer and curator Borys Filenenko on a loop. The presentation takes us back to the Soviet era when the train was an instrument of deportations and the movement of resources from Ukraine to Moscow, as well as a privileged mode of transport. Filonenko also takes us into our own time and provides examples of literary and artistic practices related to the railway in an independent Ukraine, where travel by train has increased significantly since 2014 and contributed to a new understanding between peoples in different parts of the country.
The exhibition highlights the important function of the train in society and how it plays a decisive role as a communicative and humanitarian infrastructure during the ongoing war in Ukraine. But it is not only Ukraine that has been transformed as a result of the war. Sweden's accession to NATO has broken 200 years of relative neutrality, which directly effects those who live on Gotland – one of the country's important military strategic locations.
The exhibition can be viewed through the window facing Swedenborgsgatan 1 until March 30, 2025.
Private view and Talks programme
Tuesday, February 11 at 16.00–18.00 there will be a private view. We offer non-alcoholic drinks inside the office at Swedenborgsgatan 1 and Birthe Jørgensen, chairman of Konstfrämjandet Gotland, as well as Angelica Blomhage, director of exhibitions at Gotland's Art Museum, are on site. During the exhibition period, three lunchtime lectures are also presented at the chancellery. Bring your lunch box and watch the presentations with us! Drop-in.
1. Friday, February 21 at 12.00–13.00.
Ukrainian Railways – From the future to the present
Digital presentation by Borys Filonenko, art critic and curator from Kharkiv, Ukraine. about 40 minutes
2. Friday, March 7 at 12.00–13.00.
Landscapes in the middle of the war
Digital lecture by Katya Buchatska, artist based in Kyiv, Ukraine. about 30 minutes
3. Friday, March 28 at 12.00–13.00.
I din tid
Presentation by Birthe Jørgensen, chairman of Konstfrämjandet Gotland, Gotland. about 40 minutes
Gotland Art Museum
Gotland Art Museum was founded in 1988 and is part of Gotlands Museum. The art museum, while waiting for newly renovated premises, is currently operating at Fornsalen in Visby and at other locations in collaboration with other social and cultural actors on Gotland. The art museum presents projects and temporary exhibitions mainly with contemporary art as well as exhibitions based on the museum's collections related to Gotland from the early 19th century until today. In recent years, the art museum has matched artistry with different places, target groups and contexts and co-produced new works of art. Including video works such as Sunday Night Spells by artist Sam Hultin in collaboration with trans youth on Gotland, as well as artist Kalle Brolin's essay film Jag er mirrorvänd and backwards dub, created based on the context of Roma Sockerbruk.
Read more on the museum's website.
Gotlandståget
The Gotland railway is a 6.5 km long narrow-gauge vintage railway that stretches from Hesselby/Dalhem to Roma on Gotland. The association was formed in Hesselby in 1972 with the desire to be able to establish a living railway museum. The ambition was to be able to run Gotland trains in an authentic environment and create an illusion of a bygone era. The association Gotlandståget wants to give people an opportunity to travel through time where you can experience a breath of a bygone era through all of your different senses.