Anniversary edition 5
"Nature's Light"
Arvika Ljus! is a project that wants to lower the threshold between contemporary art and local society, so that art is for everyone. In the fall we want to light up and connect in the darkest of times! Our fifth anniversary is "Nature's Light" and we want set focus on the mystery and beauty of nature, with the aim of renewing a sense of reverence towards our nature. So that we can re-evaluate and re-appreciate our own source, and heal our relationship with nature.
We have invited 7 artists from 5 different countries who each in its own way shows an aspect of this idea.
During the festival, guided tours are organised for visitors. Information about the works is available via the QR code next to the works and flyers available in shops in town and at the Tourist Office.
"Under tallarna" - Beneath the Pine Trees
Exhibition compiled of mixed media miniature dioramas by Anna Lidberg - SE Video, light, sound and objects. Music by Jon Ekström
The installation series "Conceptions of Ruin" is an attempt to linger on the idea of the unthinkable. To allow oneself a moment of fear. To act, in a sequence of events where a catastrophic ending is preventable, yet the installations seeks a mood of quiet beauty and desolation. Different light sources are aimed at objects and scenes. The shadows cast create horizons, with recognisable forms from Swedish forests and landscapes. In the exhibition at Arvika Konsthallen, Anna Lidberg aims the focus at concerns about disasters and how they can paralyse or encourage resistance.
Anna Lidberg comes from Skoghall, Värmland. She works mainly with video installations, objects and public design commissions. In her works, Lidberg deals with shifts in scale, where enlargements and reductions become a tool to arouse the viewer's interest.
"Underworld"
LED light installation by Aleksandra Stratimirovic - Sweden
Location: City Park
Aleksandra Stratimirovic is a Serbian artist working with light and light technology, creating temporary and permanent site-specific works in public space.
"Sol"
Led light sculpture by Tamar Frank - Netherlands
Location: City Park
‘Sol’ is a tribute to the sun. The light installation consists of six amber-coloured LED light lines that form a semicircle. Mounted above the water, the lines continue as a reflection, creating a perfect circle. It is a visualisation of the setting sun, a lighthouse, a spring and a focal point that draws spectators towards it as they walk along the water.
Tamar Frank works with light, space and the process of visual perception. She wants to create new awareness and sensitivity to how we look at the world and how it affects us. She focuses mainly on temporary installations in public space.
"Nordic Sculpture"
LED light sculpture by Lin de Mol - Netherlands
Location: Harbour
The image of a pile of logs is very typical in the Nordic landscape. Wood means life: It gives us warmth, shelter and economic security, but as living trees we also need them for oxygen and to maintain our natural environment. These, often conflicting needs, are symbolised and brought together in a sculpture called ‘Nordic Sculpture’, which introduces this typical Nordic form into a light art piece.
Lin de Mol is a multimedia artist working in sculpture, installation and photography. Man's relationship with nature is an underlying investigation in much of her work.
"Plasma Bees"
Neon installation av Ilkka Paloniemi – Finland
Plats: Köpmangatan 3
Plasma Bees (2024) is a series of portraits of four bees made of neon lights and recycled frames.
In this work, neon lights, powered by artificial energy, illuminate the bees, creatures that generate their own natural energy—honey. Neon gas inside its glass tubes turns into a glowing plasma under the influence of electricity. This same plasma is also found in stars and nebulae and make up 99 % of all matter.
The red glow of these modern portraits contrasts with the classic elegance of recycled frames, elevating the significance and dignity of the bees.
"And Now"
Mirror installation by Fabien Gruau - France
Plats: Storgatan 26D
Fabien Gruau's ‘And Now’ is like a huge billboard advert, but without anything to sell. It is an invitation to reflection and wonder. The ever-changing light gives a new perspective every time you pass it. What is eternity? Does it even exist? ‘And Now’ stimulates people to think about how they want to shape life, but also how we can influence and recreate the future.
Fabien Gruau is a French photographer who graduated from the MJM art academy in Rennes and has exhibited in France, the Netherlands and Belgium and has worked as a stage and lighting designer in theatre, circus and dance.
"Gallery 1:10 - Mood Board"
Project by Anna Lidberg with 11 miniature light installations - Sweden
Location: Kyrkogatan 33
Since 2006, Galleri 1:10 is an exhibition space where artist Anna Lidberg invites artists to collaborate and participate in exhibitions in the gallery's premises, which is a doll's house, where art is displayed in miniature versions. The exhibition ‘Mood board’ brings together Lina Kruopyte, Niklas Wallenborg, Cornelia Sojdelius, Catti Brandelius and Sara Forsström, and is a collage of art that interacts together.
Anna Lidberg comes from Skoghall, Värmland. She works mainly with video installations, objects and public design commissions. In her works, Lidberg deals with shifts in scale, where enlargements and reductions become a tool to arouse the viewer's interest.
"Rising"
Light projection - Niko Tiainen - Finland
Location: Hamngatan 11
Verket ”Rising” är en skräddarsyd upprepande sekvens av fallande vatten, projicerad över längden av byggnaden på Rits Parkeringen. Tiainen gjorde detta arbete specifikt för denna plats i Arvika för att motverka stadsmiljön med detta kraftfulla naturfenomen. Bortsett från vattnets skönhet och meditativa egenskaper, finns det en avlägsen klang av en andra betydelse av detta vattenfall, i vår tid med smältande istäckar och stigande vattennivåer. Ändå råder skönheten och fascinationen för vattnet där vattenvågen faller ner i slowmotion och mjukt slår mot trottoaren.
Niko Tiainen is a Finland-based multidisciplinary artist, specialising in interactive projection mappings and video, light and sound installations in public space.
”Minnebergskolan på Ritz”
Fönsterdekoration med ljus – elevarna Minnebergskolan Arvika
Plats: Hamngatan 12
I år kommer unga kreatörer och elever vid Minnebergskolan också få en möjlighet att vara en del i Arvika Ljus!-konceptet genom att skapa deras egen ljuskonstverk i Ritz fönster. Eleverna kommer att skapa den under första veckan av Arvika Ljus! som sedan blir en del av årets ljusvandringen genom stan.
