CURATORS

Lina Džuverovic
Stina Högkvist

ARTISTS

A Kassen, Mats Adelman, Roger Andersson, Asmundur Asmundsson Fia Backström, Maja Bajevic, Petra Bauer & Annette Krauss, Nina Beier & Marie Lund, Maja Borg, Liv Bugge, Libia Castro & Ólafur Ólafsson, Jacob Dahlgren, Ida Ekblad, Marte Eknæs, Andreas Eriksson, Jan Freuchen, Carl-Michael von Hausswolff / Juan Pedro Fabra / Jan Håfström, Hannaleena Heiska, Saskia Holmkvist, Karl Holmqvist, Lars Laumann og Benjamin A. Huseby, Klara Liden, Darri Lorenzen, Josefine Lyche, Eline McGeorge, Are Mokkelbost, Jani Ruscica, Marthe Thorshaug, Helgi Þórsson, Salla Tykkä, Gaeoudjiparl/ Goodiepal featuring Martha Hviid & Tordis Berstrand

FAVOURED NATIONS
NORDIC – JUST OFF THE TOTTENHAM COURT ROAD

Try to do a Google search for the term Nordic. Aside from Wikipedia’s useful explanation of which countries make up the Nordic region, the rest of the links paint a perfect picture of the stereotype of what Nordic seems to stand for.

The first hit is “Nordic, Blissful Living”, a site offering the heavenly promise of “Nordic saunas, steam rooms, hot tubs, showers.” Next up is a real gem of cross-cultural branding – “Nordic – London’s First Scandinavian Bar + Restaurant, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and  Icelandic”, boasting its central London location just off the Tottenham Court Road, presumably offering a Nordic oasis in the midst of Fitzrovia’s polluted mayhem. Thinking that one would now need a way to travel from the Nordic sauna to the Nordic bar, the next site comes in handy with yet another Nordic must-have: “Nordic Car: The complete picture for Volvo and Saab parts.” And finally, one must not forget to suitably attire one’s Nordic inspired offspring, which can be done through the Nordic Kids website, which offers what every self-respecting parent wishes for: “At Nordic Kids, we want your children to have some of that famed and effortless Scandinavian cool.”

What is one to do with a term which in one breath conjures images of saunas, designer clad children and a wood paneled trendy bar (which incidentally boasts a moose with sunglasses as a logo)? The research leading up to the Favoured Nations exhibition emerged out of the inevitable discourse that every biennial is faced with – the negotiation between the local and the global and questions around belonging, identity and outward representation.

Curators Momentum 5
Lina Džuverovic, Stina Högkvist

Full text in the catalogue:
Catalogue (part 1) Catalogue (part 2)