ARoS launches international art project in 2017
In the summer of 2017 a great new international art project, stretching more than 4 km, will be initiated in Aarhus – as ARoS Aarhus Art Museum launches a triennial in the year that Aarhus will host the European Capital of Culture.
The title of the first triennialis THE GARDEN – End of Times, Beginning of Times. Apart from large crowds ARoS expects that the project will gain international recognition, attracting a large international public.
The triennial is ARoS’ contribution to Aarhus 2017 European Capital of Culture. It is ARoS’ ambition that the project will be a major boost to the 2017 celebration and to international interest in the city. It will create excitement for art and stimulate the creative sectors. The project will suggest possibilities and perspectives for the years after 2017.
ARoS Director Erlend Høyersten explains:
“I’m convinced that the level of ambition will create excitement and interest, and that ARoS will present an extraordinary art experience in 2017. ARoS will strive towards breaking new grounds. We shall focus on new interfaces with the audience, show art of high quality, as well as challenge and confirm people's expectations of this type of events. ARoS’ ambition is to build on the enormous interest that the public showed towards Sculpture by the SeaAarhus – but also to create something new!”
THE GARDEN - End of Times, Beginning of Times
The triennial will comprise three parts:
- The Past – at ARoS Aarhus Art Museum
- The Present – in the city centre of Aarhus
- The Future – along the coast and in the forest south of Aarhus
Altogether, an art zone stretching more than 4 km .
The triennial will be curated with focus on the significant shift in the relationship between man and nature in the past, the present, and the future over a period of 400 years. It will show how various world views (religious, political, ideological or scientific) have materialized themselves in man-made nature and in art.
CEO of European Capital of Culture Aarhus 2017 Rebecca Matthews says:
“We look forward to this major project as part of the European Capital of Culture Aarhus 2017. The narrative of our relationship with nature is more relevant than ever, and also a major theme in our programme. We are rethinking nature and culture to check our balance between progress and preservation and to make innovative and bold decisions about the way we shape our ecological future. I welcome THE GARDEN project as a powerful contribution to this narrative. We know that many citizens and visitors enjoy exploring art and culture in unusual places in nature and the city,” says Rebecca Matthews.
The exhibition will cover 400 years of art history and reach from the Baroque garden culture over the major American land art projects to the contemporary environmentally oriented practices.
Due to the scope of THE GARDEN - End of Times, Beginning of Times’ Sculpture by the Sea Aarhus will not take place in 2017. The new organisation is subject to approval by the Aarhus City Council.
Mayor of Aarhus Jacob Bundsgaard says:
”From its very first exhibition in 2009 Sculpture by the Sea has been a fantastic experience for the city’s citizens and visitors. But even the best projects need to be “rethought” in order to stay vibrant and attractive to the public, partners and sponsors. The new ARoS project will be even larger and more spectacular in terms of contents, exhibition period and space. I’m convinced that The Garden will become one of the greatest experiences during the European Capital of Culture 2017.”
Read more at ARoS' website.
