As in previous years, curators will get a chance to submit proposals for next year’s Autumn Exhibition at Hafnarborg. The Autumn Exhibition Series began in 2011 and since then eleven exhibitions have been produced as a part of the series. This year‘s autumn exhibition, Community of Sentient Beings, which opened on August 28th, was selected by the same method, from the proposals submitted last year.
By calling for proposals, the objective is to collaborate with different curators, who submit interesting proposals for an exhibition, as well as letting new voices be heard. For this reason, curators who are new to the field are encouraged to send in their application. It is evident that a programme of this kind is not without warrant, as it has produced diverse and thought-provoking exhibitions, which have been well received.
The call is for group exhibitions connecting artists or artworks through their subject matter, artistic method or other ideas, but exhibitions analyzing or focusing on a specific aspect of one artist’s work will also be considered. Proposals for exhibitions of contemporary artists’ works or exhibitions entailing historical analysis are welcome as well. The Director and Art Council of Hafnarborg will review the proposals and select the winning proposal.
Please note that the deadline to submit proposals has been extended by two weeks until midnight, Sunday October 24th.
Applications are only accepted via email at [email protected].
Application process
The application process is divided into two parts. For more details about the process and the required material, please read on.
Part 1
For the first part of the application process, we ask for the following information:
- Description of the project with an emphasis on the idea underlying the exhibition (1000 words maximum).
- CV of the curator(s).
- Short CV of the artist or artists, as well as others that might become part of the exhibition project.
Please provide as detailed a description as possible, while respecting the maximum word count. We will also accept illustrative material that is descriptive for the project, though this is not required. Applicants are encouraged to acquaint themselves with Hafnarborg’s layout and spaces before submitting the proposal. The Art Council of Hafnarborg, alongside the Director, will review all proposals and select those that will move on to the second part of the application process.
Part 2
The curators, whose proposals were selected for further review, will be asked to present their ideas and provide additional materials, such as exhibition catalogues, illustrative material or videos, as well as working on a realistic budget plan for the project. The budget plan for the exhibition, including its preparation, is expected to be in keeping with the museum’s financial plan, otherwise being funded through special grants.
When reviewing the proposal, the following will be taken into special consideration:
- Selection of artists.
- Whether the exhibition introduces an innovative view of the arts, for example in relation to its context and/or media.
- Whether the exhibition includes new or older works, or even a mixture of both.
- Whether the exhibition has a special relevance to Hafnarborg, for example to its collection, its surroundings etc.
- Whether the exhibition makes use of Hafnarborg’s exhibition space in a creative way.
- The curators’ experience and CV (specifically seeking curators in the early stages of their career).
- Suggestions for programming in connection with the exhibition (curatorial talks, artist talks, seminars etc.).
- Ideas for a possible publication.
- That the budget of the project is within reasonable limits (a more precise cost assessment will take place in the later part of the process).
Sketches of Hafnarborg’s floor plan can be found here. These are intended to be used as a guide, as it is not required that the curators design the exhibition to match the space precisely.
Please send all proposals via email to [email protected], with the subject “Autumn Exhibition 2021”. In response, we will send a message confirming that we have received the proposal, but we urge you to contact us at (354) 585 5790, if you do not receive said confirmation. Finally, all applicants will be kept informed about the status of their proposals, in due course. All results will be sent via email.
Further information is provided by the office of Hafnarborg at (354) 585 5790.