Identifying Centres

Co-organized with Jan Krtička and Robert Vlasák

“I am the centre. The centre is in me; me and all that surrounds me. You’re not the centre, because you’re on the outside. Together with: identity crisis; shared vision; group morals; collective work; local resources; global integrity; diluted responsibility; overarching universality; individualism denial
(–No, that’s not me.).”

Identifying Centres is a group exhibition of artists from Umeå Academy of Fine Arts, Umeå, Sweden, and Faculty of Arts and Design in Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic.

The exhibition is a result of Czech-Swedish exchange project Decentralised Identity organised by Alice Maselnikova and Alexander Peroutka. Decentralised Identity has taken place in October 2017. It looks at art contexts outside of the capital cities or the main centres of cultural interest. The two institutions differ in their setting and work with various themes, materials and questions. Nonetheless, they are both distanced from the centre of power in their countries, developing their own ideas based on specific regional needs and immediate context, and creating their own cultural centres. Ten selected art students have worked together in the two locations in Sweden and Czech Republic in October 2017, and have explored the different conditions in which each of the art colleges operates. The programme included a series of presentations, field trips, workshops and several public outcomes.
The project is realised through support of ART UMU, Umeå, FUD UJEP, Ústí n. Labem and České centrum Stockholm/Tjeckiska Centret Stockholm. Special thanks to Billy Davis.