Project Description

TRANSLATION THEME PARK is an exhibition project, that wishes to explore Japanese contemporary art and show it to a Swedish audience. The curatorial work is performed by artist and writer Leif Holmstrand in cooperation with Göran Green (head curator at Galleri 21) and Gert-Olle Göransson (head curator at Galleri Ping-Pong).

Leif Holmstrand's thoughts on the concept: “I think about translation not only as an act of transporting meaning from one language to another; there is also a creative and in parts destructive process I want to address: the relocation of language, physical material, image or body gives things new meaning and tells unexpected stories. The word ‘translation’ is in my head tightly connected to ‘transformation’ and ‘transgression’. I loosely and carefully structure the exhibition around a soon to be born short poetic text, that in a mild-mannered way will describe these changing-processes as rides or attractions at a dreamy, half-quiet sort of theme park – perhaps a subconscious version of Hanayashiki Amusement Park in Asakusa, Tokyo or the now lost Folkets Park Tivoli in Malmö.”

Artists so far included are: Chim↑Pom, Cobra Goodnight, Fumiko Kobayashi, OLTA, Pyuupiru, Sachiko Kazama, Sakiko Yamaoka, Yoko Asakai, Yuki Okumura. The exhibition will open in October 2014 simultaneously at two galleries in Malmö, Sweden: Galleri Ping-Pong and Galleri 21.

(Phase two of this project begins next year, when Swedish artists will be presented for a Japanese audience.)