ASAD Network’s Annual Relate North Exhibition at Umeå University
The Relate North 2023 exhibition was set to unfold at Umeå University form November 13-17, 2023. The theme of the exhibition Beyond Borders explored the complex interplay of constraints and creativity, examining how various boundaries shape, and are reshaped by human experience.
"ASAD TN’s annual Relate North events are unique in that a curated exhibition takes place alongside the academic gathering and therefore has equal status. Many participants see their practice as a designer or artist linked to the research that they do. Art, design, craft, education and science come together to lower and dismantle borders of knowledge exchange", says Timo Jokela, UArctic Chair of Art, Design and Culture.
Drawing inspiration from the unique setting of the Arctic and circumpolar North, the exhibition investigated art’s transformative power of challenge and refine the borders that covers our lives. In the world loaded with political and environmental tension, the artistic works stand as testament to resilience and the enduring human spirit to transcend divisions.
Glen Coutts. Adventure of Ragnar Hawksguasher. Original Digital Inject Prints. 2022.
"These artists, together with the other participating artists, have through their works reflected the very core of the Relate North Symposium, a place where art meets science and where new perspectives are born", says Lotta Lundstedt, who led this year's organizing team in Umeå.
The exhibition featured 18 contributions from artist, designers, architects and educators hailing from Alaska, Canada, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Scotland presenting visions and insights of practices in art, research and education within the Arctic region.
Mirja Hiltunen. Waters and Elements, Photo collage. 2023.
The exhibition was organized in cooperation between the ASAD Thematic Network, Umeå University, the Department of Aesthetic Subjects, UmArts, and the University of Lapland, Faculty of Art and Design.
More information: ASAD webpages
Umeå University: Relate North symposium and exhibition 2023 (umu.se)