huntington81@gmail.com – Page 3

Artists interpret the public pension funds

“The national AP-fonderna (’Allmänna pensionsfonderna’, public pension funds) administer over 1500 billion kronor of the tax payers’ pension money. Several billion kronor are being invested, in the form of shares and bonds, in the fossil fuel industry. The questions around the pension funds’ investments, their ethical framework, and our immense need for change are both complicated and hopelessly bureaucratic, and at the same time they constitute an emotional and political powder keg. How can we address these questions in an artistic way?”

In 2020, the climate activists Anna Bokström and Johanna Norrbo invited artists to interpret/visualize the activities and management of the swedish public pension funds. The participating artists are: Nina Bacos, Anna Bokström, Ann Engqvist, Sara Granér, Max Gustafsson, Ilona Huss Walin, John Huntington, Lena Ignestam, Babawale Obayanju and Ella Tillema.

The project is financed by the organization Both Ends and the association Fossilfria Pensioner who presently runs the campaign.

Welcome to the opening at Galleri 54, Friday 29th of October at 6pm to 9pm. Free soup will be served. At 6.30pm we will talk about the the public pension funds.

Foto: Johanna Hanno

Exhibition “What is new”

Kanslibyrån (John Huntington & Per-Arne Sträng) is participating in the Group show “Vad är nytt” (What is new) in Gothenburg, opening 1 Oct 2021

“The exhibition is set after a period of time when social and cultural encounters have been largely missed. To fill this void, Ateljéföreningen Nya Fabriken is arranging a huge exhibition in one of GötaVerken’s old premises, a 1000m2 empty industrial building. In it, we are organising a group exhibition with Gothenburg-based artists.The vernissage will take place Friday 1st October from 17:00-late. We plan for a big celebration where we can meet, see art and form new and stronger bonds with colleagues and peers. The purpose is to show everyone interested, from the public to politicians and contributors, the artistic diversity and quality that exists in Gothenburg.”

The Potato Economy on Zoom

During the autumn of 2021 I will perform my work “The Potato Economy” for different art associations around Sweden. The work is part of the project “Performance on Zoom” produced by Sveriges Konstföreningar.

Based on my large collection of stamps from various public institutions, government bodies and private companies, I will be telling a story of money, power and bureaucracy while performing a number of actions and movements where stamping becomes a powerful performative act.

The work will be performed for Socialstyrelsens konstförening, Totalförsvarets forskningsinstituts konstförening, Sveriges Konstföreningar Norrbotten, Sveriges Konstföreningar Gävleborg, Konstföreningen Esplanaden (Kemikalieinspektionen), Folkhälsomyndighetens konstförening, Studio Växt, Konsthantverkscentrum, Sveriges konstföreningar, Strängnäs konstförening, Boo konstförening.

Kanslibyrådagarna 2021

This year’s conference will take place in the forest between Töreboda and Laxå 11-12 June. There are three intensive program items on the agenda, where repetition and structure are at the center.

Welcome to take part in the conference’s activities on Kanslibyråns Instagram account. The conference applies a variable schedule and the program items will be announced gradually. Stay updated on Friday and Saturday to experience the gathering digitally.

Image: Program item 3 – “Eye level”

Instagram: @kanslibyran

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Survey of the Fossil Fuel Industry

During the summer of 2021 am participating in Havremagasinets exhibition “Soil” as part of the project “Artists interpret the AP-funds“.

“John Huntington and Ilona Huss Walin survey the esthetics and vocabulary in this series of paintings. It is a pre-study for Huntington’s and Huss Walin’s contribution to the project Konstnärer tolkar AP-fonderna.

One finds it difficult not to laugh studying the paintings. There is a playfulness and generous dose of sarcasm. The contradictions of the source material become evident in the psychotic smile of the Preem-bear or in the misspelling of“Human Enegy”. Simply because the expression is simplistic and childish it becomes an excellent means of dethroning and demystifying the multinational giant corporations that lets us approach them in a more direct and honest manner. Because isn’t their behavior – ignoring and denying the consequences of their actions, if anything, infantile and childish. In these images we witness that reality without the veneer innocence created by their marketing departments. We meet them face-to-face on our own level, or perhaps, slightly below our level. We have no obligation to treat them with deference simply because they are huge international businesses. After all, it is our pensions. Every Swedish worker is a co-owner.”

Expanded Tiny Festival 2021

I will participate in Expanded Tiny Festival 2021 with a new performance-work. Tiny festival 2021 is a week of performance, choreography, poetry, music, voice, sound, film and visual art mixed with installations and interventions. The festival with take place indoors and outdoors around Mathuggstorget in Gotheburg.

For more information see the Facebook-event: Expanded Tiny Festival 2021

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The Desorientation Ability

Kanslibyrån is very happy to be able to continue its mission of advocating friendly inefficiency, naive thinking and positive irrationality in an exhibition at Växjö Konsthall 16 October 2020 – 9 jan 2021.

“The artists Per-Arne Sträng and John Huntington are performing actions, a kind of everyday revolt against habitual behaviour, bureaucracy and the notion of a rational society. They do it by hacking well known paths and executing a kind of controlled explosions of phenomenons we barely perceive but still obey. ”

Konsthall323 celebrates its 10th anniversary

Konsthall323 was founded by Frida Krohn and Ylva Trapp in 2010, and has since hosted a vast number of exhibitions and events. Now the institution is celebrating its ten year anniversary with a group show of former collaborators, and Kanslibyrån is very happy to be counted as one of these.

Other participating artists are Anna Sörenson, Ami Kohara, Aeron Bergman, Alejandra Salinas, Maria Toll, Elisabeth Frieberg, Ulrika Gomm, Anne-Liis Kogan, Gabi Dao, Cissi Hultman, Karin Backström och Jon Perman.

Kanslibyrån at Gallery 54

Kanslibyrån is participating with two video works in the exhibition Videorama 1 at Gallery 54 in Gothenburg. We will show documentation of two actions from The Archive of Actions: Action No. 411: Take turns carrying each other, and Action No. 467: Try to stand on your head.

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The Visionary Archive at Galleri Se Konst

Kanslibyrån have been Invited to make a digital exhibition on Galleri Se Konst Instagram account for one week, 11 – 17 April 2020. We take the opportunity to show excerpts from our Visionary Archive that have never been shown before.

Translation of image above: Action No. 219: Cook too much soup / Action No. 1042: Take a cab into the forest

Galleri Se Konst on Instagram

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