Commissions

ART COMMISSIONS

Artists Rikke Luther (Denmark) and Nikhil Vettukattil (Norway) were commissioned to develop new knowledge and practices related to climate action in the Nordic-Scottish region.

The commissions aim to support international dialogue and enable NAARCA’s partners to share and disseminate our findings with the arts and culture sector across the Nordics and beyond. The artists were chosen through a selection process in consultation with the partners and their advisory committee. Their research was made possible through residency exchanges at partner institutions which facilitated site-specific explorations. In addition, to create a true exchange of ideas, the artists were asked to develop their work in easily distributed formats, allowing for sustainable dissemination with off and online presentations of the projects. 

In line with these aims, Rikke Luther’s new film, Dust & Flow: Muds, Movement, Time, Scale, explores the new mud landscapes and their social, political and bio-chemical impacts on human and marine life. Nikhil Vettukattil’s commission explores what a healthy, affordable and climate-friendly diet in the Nordics might look like by writing recipes divided into sections on disaster, survival and resistance and distributing them online, in cooking sessions and on embroidered garments. On 31 May 2024, these works debuted at Saari Residence for the Finnish Artist Residency Network and from June-July 2024, NAARCA presented these works through an online exhibition.

WRITING COMMISSIONS

From 2022-2024, NAARCA commissioned and digitally published seven writers, each nominated by one of the founding NAARCA partner organisations. All texts were written in the writer’s preferred language and each include an English translation.

1. Hanna Guttorm, Prayers or Love Letters, 2023 – nominated by Saari Residence, Finland.
2. Anna-Maria Hällgren, Ways of Seeing Boars | Sätt att se på vildsvin, 2024 – nominated by Baltic Art Center, Sweden
3. Mazen Maarouf, The Interview, Aspen Tree, 24-Hour Refugees, 2024 – nominated by Skaftfell Art Center, Iceland
4. Mairi Macelod, Seasickness | Cur na Mara, 2023 – nominated by Cove Park, Scotland
5. Pivinnguaq Mørch, Poems in Kalaallisut and English, 2024 – nominated by Narsaq International Research Station, Greenland
6. Emmy Laura Pérez Fjalland, Marshy Sunhaze: A Sort of Guide to the Rainy Season in Souther Scandinavia, 2024 – nominated by Art Hub Copenhagen, Denmark
7. Zeshan Shakar, The Animals in the Forest, 2024 – nominated by Artica Svalbard, Norway