Subjective Maps / Disappearances

Little Constellation - Contemporary Art in the geo-cultural micro-areas and small states of Europe presents a new exhibition at the National Gallery of Iceland, Subjective Maps / Disappearances, scheduled to June 30, 2013.

Little Constellation is an international network for contemporary art. It was founded for the creation and dissemination of research projects especially attentive to the present in Andorra, Cyprus, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, San Marino, and in some micro geo-cultural areas of Europe including Ticino, Ceuta, Gibraltar, Kaliningrad, the Aland Islands, the Faroe Islands, Jersey and Guernsey. The network is proposed as an international cognitive platform for the dissemination of information, exhibitions, meetings and residencies for artists and to encourage the creation of co-productions and collaborations for new projects with artists, associations, museums, art centres, public and private institutions and international foundations.

The 37 artists in the exhibition produced a series of artist's book and fanzine, inspired by the "disappearance" theme, expressing a condition suspended between geopolitical reasons and a more private and existential dimension. The works have been designed with an idea of creating a narrative, both visual and textual, capable of recounting different identities, anthropological and cultural, belonging to the territories involved in the network.

The exhibition, curated by Halldór Björn Runólfsson, director of the National Gallery of Iceland, Alessandro Castiglioni, Rita Canarezza & Pier Paolo Coro, curators and artists of Little Constellation, maps the great variety found in the expressive approach of artists from the small nations of Europe; nations with less than one million inhabitants, irrespective of geographical situation or territorial size. By producing fanzines and artist's books for the exhibition the artists pay tribute to a long tradition of unique publications as means of creative communication.

The small nations of Europe are either confined to limited areas encircled by other countries or surrounded by the sea. Their distribution throughout the continent makes them the perfect guardians of the different aspects of European culture, stretching from the southernmost point in the Mediterranean to the northernmost point in the Atlantic, crossing an axis drawn from the westernmost country to the easternmost island.

Works are exhibited in an installation specifically designed for the central hall of the museum by the Swiss artist Oppy De Bernardo, with the idea of making visible and tangible, through the use of simple construction materials, the size of the network, characteristic of Little Constellation.

An integral part of the exhibition is the volume issued by Mousse Publishing, designed as an artist's book, an anthology of all the work produced for the occasion by artists.

The exhibition forms part of the Reykjavik Arts Festival 2013, Iceland's first international cultural festival.

The Little Constellation project, started in 2004 as art research by the two artists Rita Canarezza & Pier Paolo Coro, with the support of the best institutions of their country, San Marino.

The exhibition Subjective Maps / Disappearances enjoys the patronage of their Excellencies the Captains Regent, it is supported by the Ministries for Foreign Affairs, Education and Culture, Territory and Youth Policy, Tourism, Health and Social Security – Social and Cultural Activities Office of the Republic of San Marino.

Daniel Arellano Mesina, Eve Ariza, Sigurður Atli Sigurðsson, Katerina Attalidou, Sigtryggur Berg Sigmarsson, Justine Blau, Rita Canarezza & Pier Paolo Coro, Dustin Cauchi, Jóhan Martin Christiansen, Nina Danino, Oppy De Bernardo, Hekla Dögg Jónsdóttir, Doris Drescher, Barbara Geyer, Helena Guàrdia, Unn Joensen, Irena Lagator, Victoria Leonidou, Simon Le Ruez, Ingibjörg Magnadóttir, Mark Mangion, Lorella Mussoni & Pier Giorgio Albani, Teodora Nikcević, Minna Öberg, Bjargey Ólafsdóttir, Maria Petursdóttir, Pierre Portelli, Agnès Roux, Eric Snell, Miki Tallone, Jelena Tomašević, Pauliina Turakka Purhonen, Natalija Vujošević, Martin Walch, Trixi Weis

Curated by Halldór Björn Runólfsson, Alessandro Castiglioni, Rita Canarezza, Pier Paolo Coro

Catalogue edited by Mousse Publishing

Subjective Maps / Disappearances
Little Constellation
Kuratoren: Halldor Björn Runolfsson, Alessandro Castiglioni, Rita Canarezza & Pier Paolo Coro

Künstler: Eve Ariza, Daniel Arellano Mesina, Sigurdur Atli Sigurdsson, Katerina Attalidou, Sigtryggur Berg Sigmarsson, Justine Blau, Rita Canarezza & Pier Paolo Coro, Dustin Cauchi, Johan Martin Christiansen, Nina Danino, Oppy De Bernardo, Hekla Dögg Jonsdottir, Doris Drescher, Barbara Geyer, Helena Guardia, Unn Joensen, Irena Lagator, Victoria Leonidou, Simon Le Ruez, Ingibjörg Magnadottir, Mark Mangion, Lorella Mussoni & Pier Giorgio Albani, Teodora Nikcevic, Minna Öberg, Bjargey Olafsdottir, Maria Petursdottir, Pierre Portelli, Agnes Roux, Eric Snell, Miki Tallone, Jelena Tomasevic, Pauliina Turakka Purhonen, Natalija Vujosevic, Martin Walch, Trixi Weis