Janeric Johansson in Simao

Malmö artist Janeric Johansson shows his three-dimensional art at an exhibition in the Simao district, Southern Yunnan, in November 2008.

Simao is famous in China art circles for the skilful woodcarving technique developed in the area, which is still passed on to new students in Simao schools.

The Malmö based artist Janeric Johansson himself has a long history with TCG Nordica, and has among other things worked as its Gallery Director in 2004-05.

Exhibition Information
Venue: Simao/Pu’er Teacher College Art Gallery, Simao, China
Opening: 5 November 2008
Exhibition duration: 2008.11.05 –

Contact TCG Nordica for more info:
Tel: 0086-871-4114962
Add: TCG Nordica, Xibalu 101#, Kunming, Yunnan.
www.tcgnordica.com

Madeleine Aleman: Colorful China

Colourful China – Madeleine Aleman’s recently works in Kunming

TCG Nordica-UP Gallery, Kunming, China
Opening: 2008/11/1, 20:00
Exhibition duration: 2008/11/1–11/22
Tel: 0086-871-4114962
Add:TCG Nordica, Xibalu 101#, Kunming, Yunnan.
www.tcgnordica.com

My experience as an A.I.R at TC/G Nordica in Kunming, China August – November 2008

It is a great adventure for me to be here in Kunming, which also is my first time in Asia. My intention of coming here was to put myself in a completely new context in purpose to change and grow. It took me about one month to “land” and get an everyday-life. Not knowing any Chinese even going to the shop to buy food is a trial: What is hidden in this beautiful package, beans, nuts or something else? I really appreciate not understanding though, it forces me to be present and communicate in other ways than with words.

I am happy that I am participating in Nordica’s program for residency in many ways: To immediately have good housing and a studio near other artists, to have a lot of nice people that helps me to get things I need, to be introduced to artists, visit their studios and be invited to exhibitions and all that with interpreter! Also to follow what’s going on at Nordica’s cultural centre and now, last but not least, have the opportunity to make an exhibition to share the outcome of the residency!

Actually I had about 2 months of intense work in the studio, since the first was “œlanding” and the last will be some travelling. The work from this period is diverse. Since I want to share my process I am not taking away pieces to make it look more coherent. I started with the “Kaleidoscope-paintings”, something I felt was easy, wanted to integrate China with Sweden, then the first idea leads to next and so on. I wanted to use all my new impressions, my minority clothes, paper cuts and Chinese characters.
I get inspired every day when I walk from my home to the studio on Xiba lu, now even called “My street”. This lovely throng of people playing, cooking, washing, working, nice smiles from old and young, children waving their hands and says: “Hello!”. Smells from food, the bakery, colours of fantastic plastic, vegetables and clothes. love Kunming!

Do you want to see more? Please visit my webpage: www.aleman.se

Thanks to all nice staff at Nordica, the lovely Kunming citizens and to you that visit my exhibition!
Special thanks to:
Luo Fei, for all interesting conversations about art, your lecture on Chinese contemporary art and that you took me to visit artists.
Tian Yao, for your help with so many different things, for interpreting, for bringing me on exhibition openings and other joyful events.

With love, Madeleine Aleman

Signs

Swedish artists exhibition “signs”
artists: Asa Herrgard, Patric Larsson, Anna Carlson
Opening:20:00,7 June,2008
Exhibition Duration:7 June 2008–28 June 2008

Summer 2004 Asa Herrgard had a residence in Kunming and during these months she started to practice Tai-Chi in a nearby park.

Through camera and film she catch the energy between those who practice and the form itself of Tai chi.
She tries to see the form of the nature , the sign of calligraphy and thoughts about the tai-chi moves..
She investigates the conections between nature,human and the life in the park.

Patric Larsson drawings contains word/text arranged on paper like big schema, discussing different issues, like child memories or individual relation to the society, psyche, conception like shame and guilt.

Other works are abstract drawings, with simple elements like lines or dots that merger in different ways to one picture. Patric are showing art works that consist text and abstract in the exhibition.

Summer 2003 Anna Carlsonhad a residence at TCG Nordic in Kunming.

Anna works with pictures in different ways such as drawings,performances,paintings,installations.
She works with issues like humanity and mistakes,reality and fantasy.
Her pictures at the exhibition will be drawings of weeds and sticks from the great swamp.

The Secrets Of The Mirror

The swedish photographers Hilma & Maria’s exhibition: The Secrets Of The Mirror
Opening: Sat May 3rd 20:00
Duration: 2008-0503–end of May
Add:TCG Nordica UP-Gallery,Xiba lu 101,Kunming,Yunnan,China
Tel:0871-4114692 or 4114691
www.tcgnordica.com

“The photos are a mix from Scandinavia and southeast Asia. The pictures have different thems, mainly of nature.”

About the Artists
Maria and Hilma have moved from Sweden to live in Kunming in China for a year to take part in a culture course. During this year they have been inspired by Asian surroundings and have developed their photographic skills. “The Secrets Of The Mirror” is their very first exhibition and it is fortunate they have started to share their beautiful pictures with a bigger audience.
Lina Baeckstrom

Maria Stenlund
Maria Stenlund is 24 years old and an authorized nurse, she comes from the city of Leksand in Dalarna in Sweden. Maria’s interest in photography began when her twin sister Anna took a photo course when they were sixteen. Since then Maria has taken various courses in photography and have deepened her knowledge in different techniques. During this year she has been part of a documentary group and is the most frequent and appreciated photographer at events at Nordica. Maria’s photographs have two different themes: detail and documentary, both are presented in “the Secrets of the Mirror”. In her photographs Maria wishes to capture the very soul of the object, and manages to do so in close detailed pictures but also in pictures that holds larger scenery. She wants you to get the feeling of watching the object for the first time even though you’ve seen it a thousand times before. Maria wants to give you a glimpse of heaven, through the wonders of the earth.

Hilma Andersson
Hilma Andersson comes from the city of Kramfors in the north part of Sweden. Hilma is 26 years old and holds a bachelor degree in social work. As a social worker Hilma has lived and worked in Uganda, Africa, during three different periods in 2006 and 2007. Her interest in photography began to bloom when she borrowed her father’s old camera in 2003. During a visit to a minority park in Yunnan last fall, her “photographic eye” opened and she discovered a new style of creating an image. This changed Hilma’s view towards a more experimental and artistic way of taking pictures. From this moment Hilma started taking the type of photos presented in “The Secret’s Of The Mirror”. Hilma’s pictures have one theme but ranges from being very peaceful with a more clear image to being playful with a more abstract feeling. Hilma is fascinated by reflections in the water and how it can speak to ones imagination, creating new, vivid images.

Lina Baeckstrom
Kunming, China,2008-04-30

Xylon

“XYLON!”The art of relief printing from Sweden
Xylon means wood in ancient Greek, a material human beings got to know early on and made images and imprints and books from, predecessors to the mass production of our time. Xylon has also given name to an international artists alliance, started in the 1940s in Belgium by Masereel and has by now spread all over the world.

Today Xylon does not only mean wood. It includes all kinds of media that uses reliefs to print, from nature to synthetic material, metal, photo media, and artist books. It has always retained its magic.

Now for the first time we present the art of Swedish relief print on a larger scale in China. It gives us a reference, a chance to compare between our two cultures that have long experiences of the art, to see what and how it has happened, and where it leads us.

Chun Lee Wang Gurt / Artist Organiser, chairman Xylon Sweden

Artists: Anna Westin, Ulla Wennber, Chun Lee Wang Gurt, Kersti Söderström-Ergon, Allan Söderström, Eva Stockhaus, Staffan Schönberg, Olof Sandahl, Marja Ruta, Pontus Raud, Peter Pettersson, Göran Person, Bertil Olsson, Ingvar Nilsfelt, Mats Nielsen, Kristina munklinde, Helena Mellin, Elisabeth Lundqvist, Fredrik Lindqvist, Hans Lindh, P-O Larsson, Maria Lagerborg, Anders Karlsson, Kjell Hellström, Torsten Jurell, Eva Forsberg, Ulli Fagerquist, Lars Eriksson, Urban Engström, Hans Eliasson, Leif Elggren, Ole Drebold, Christel Copp, Lena Blohmé, Stefano Beccari, Magnus Bärtås, Jordi Arkö, Kristina Anselm, Debbie Almqvist and Bertil Almlöf

Curator: CHUN LEE WANG GURT
C0-worker: TCG Nordica
Organiser: Jonathan Kearney, Liu Lifen, Luo Fei
Opening:2007, 04, 14, 20:00
Duration: 2007, 04,14 – 25

Tel :0871-4114692
Add:TCG Nordica No.101 Xi Ba Lu,Loft Kunming,Yunnan Kunming,China

True Fiction

“True Fiction” photograph and Video Art Exhibition by Swedish artists Lennart Alves and Marit Lindberg
An exhibition by two contemporary Swedish artists, Lennart Alves and Marit Lindberg.

Lennart Alves works mainly with photography and film. His work deals mostly with subjects related to sight and perception, and how it forms our values. He often uses landscape as motif to obtain a less culturally defined imagery.

Marit Lindberg works primarily with video as a medium. During the last few years her works have been based around narrative structures, collective memories, individual stories that together form a narrative, language and gaps appearing in translation processes. She is interested in the process of mythologizing as it emerges when a story is retold enough times.

Lennart Alves will present a series of black photographs called The American Heritage. The project is both a tribute to Ad Reinhardt and a personal reaction to the global political reality of today.

Marit Lindberg will show a series of three short videos on language, which strive to reflect some of the delight and frustration found in trying to communicate with your neighbour – Vampire and Skeleton, A lesson in Finnish grammar and Practical Chinese. She will also show the documentary Flamenco in Taipei that takes up issues concerning dreams of a different life and the exotic regard for far away places.

The exhibition will open on Nov 30th.

“Work of Heart” Janeric Johansson’s solo exhibition 2005

“Work of Heart”:Swedish artist Janeric Johansson’s Arts

TCG Nordica Gallery
Art Host: Mao Xuhui
Opening: 2005.4.2 20:00
2005.4.2–5.9

Made in China

During ten month from August 2004 – June 2005 I have been living in Kunming China as an Artist in Residence and also Gallery Director at the Scandinavian-Chinese Cultural Centre T/CG Nordica. Kunming is the capital of Yunnan Province in South West China, and was not a new place for me. Already 6 years ago I made an installation project at the Yunnan Arts Institute together with ten Art Students, and at the same time made my first solo exhibition in Kunming. Following year I was back for the opening exhibition of T/CG Nordica.

Out from a famous sentence of the English author Rudyard Kipling: ”East is East and West is West and never the two will meet”, I made a painting which said something about the vision of Nordica. Kipling was a dedicated Imperialist, and from that point of view he saw the difficulties to combine east and west. In this painting you have to go far away to both sides to discover the Chinese letters for East and West, but without this imperialistic mind it can be very exciting when east and west coming together. So I call the painting: ”East is East and West is West and here the two will meet”

Nordica is in the middle of an old factory changed to Kunming Loft, where around 30 Chinese artists have their studios together with several galleries and restaurants. During these ten months I have had a great time and it has been a privilege to work close to some of the best artists in China. I will specially say thanks to the artists Tang Zhigang and Mao Xuhui for the inspiring talks through the year and Wu Weimin, the President of Yunnan Arts Institute who wrote the text for my exhibition. To Liu Lifen, for the good cooperation at the Nordica Gallery, and to Calle Rytterfalk for the help with the design of this book, to the staff of Nordica and all other friends I got to know during my stay in Kunming.

Nordica is not a place to promote Scandinavian Art. It’s much more a meeting place between East and West, for inspiration and understandings, and Im proud to have been a part of this the last year.

Kunming May 2005
Janeric Johansson

Identity

This painting seems to be quite obvious at the first look. An earth globe with North and South America, made almost like a soup bubble. At the bottom is the Chinese word for Identity. But if you get really close to the painting you will be surprised and discover that everything is in Chinese, cut out from the map of Yunnan. You can find Kunming, Dali, Lijiang and Sichuanbanna, famous cities in Yunnan Province. In the fast changes of China I sometimes think that they are looking too much to America. Ten years ago there was a lot of old nice Chinese houses in Kunming. But now they are all gone. Instead you will find a new city with skyscrapers. Where have the identity gone?

Half a year ago I heard an interview on television where one of the leaders from Kunming said that his vision and dream was that every person in Kunming should have their own car. I think that this is very much an American dream. In USA 6% of the worlds population is living, and they are producing 25% of the global warming gases. Here in China 21% of the worlds population is living, and if they have America as a model, building the country for cars instead of people, I think it will be a catastrophe for the country and also for the rest of the world. The amount of cars are rising dramatically and there are already too much pollutions. I think we have to see out from a wider perspective. And at the same time keep our different identities and try not to lose our soul on the way.

China has such a long history and culture, so where is the identity today?

At the same time I have been living in Kunming for one year and it is a very important place for me. Because of that I have also given it a more visible place on the globe.

Preface

The content in this book is a result of five month works in the guest studio at TC/G Nordica, a Scandinavian – Chinese Cultural Centre in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province in southwest China. I didn’t know how it should work for me outside my Swedish studio. But when it was time for the exhibition I had done more than 20 paintings. It was a great inspiration to create side by side of 18 Chinese Artists studios in the old factory changed to Kunming Loft. In the middle of this you will find Nordica and some more galleries and restaurants.

When you look to my paintings you cant be passive. You have to move yourself in the room and first then my paintings are working. At the same time you will be a part of the art. The paintings change dramatically and you have to look from up to 5 different perspective on each painting.
Still after one year in China I cant speak any Chinese but my paintings can communicate and sometimes I feel that it works even better here then in the west.

My paintings are a mixture of different materials and methods. The paint is mostly acrylic but in the drawings oil is mixed with pencil. The horses are symbols for people and most of my artworks are about life. The three dimensional parts is made of galvanized metal, which make it possible to get the different angles. For the first time ever I have also made an installation out of photos.

Besides the work in my studio I have been working as a Gallery Director of Nordica and tried to make the big room more flexible for exhibition. I have also challenged some of the best and most famous Chinese artists to make their first solo exhibitions ever in China.

Kunming is not a new place for me. Already 6 years ago I made a project at the Yunnan Arts Institute together with some exhibitions. But I’m sure that this year, when I get some distance, has been a watershed both for me, and my art.

Kunming, China May 2005
Janeric Johansson

Credits and Thanks

Thanks to the artists Tang Zhigang, Mao Xuhui and Ning Zhi for all the help and inspirational talks through the year, and to all the artists at Kunming Loft and teachers and students at the Art Universities.

Thanks to Wu Weimin, the President of Yunnan Arts Institute, who wrote the text for my exhibition.
Thanks to Calle Rytterfalk for the layout of the book, his fantastic photos and also the inspiration to get into the digital world.

Thanks to 4 incredible women, Anna Mellergard, the founder of Nordica, Xiao Rong the Director Manager of Nordica for her enthusiasm Liu Lifen for good cooperation with the Gallery and for the help with the Chinese characters in my paintings. Not as least my wife Eva, who still after thirty years of marriage, surprise me with her creative mind and support. Without her much of what I have done should never been realised.

Swedish Artist Asa Herrgard’s Exhibition

Swedish Artist Asa Herrgard’s Exhibition
2004.8.28
TCG Nordica Gallery

Swedish Artist Asa Herrgard is from Nordic Watercolour Museum artist exchange project in 2004.

Workshop By Anna Carlsson

Workshop By Anna Carlsson, Sweden
August 9-Auguest 15,2003 (first artist-in-residence exchange project between TC/G Nordica and Water color Museum in Sweden )