Article by Louisa Stark // May 23, 2018
On May 26, Cycle Music and Art Festival, in collaboration with the Icelandic Embassy, will host ‘Cryptopian States’, an afternoon and evening of art, music and performance held at the residence and in the garden of the Icelandic ambassador to Berlin. This unusual choice of venue is key to the concept of the event, which aims to address the logic of the crypto-colony and decolonization. The transformation of the residence will represent an act of colonization in itself, albeit contained within the hours of 3–11PM on a single day.
Hulda Rós Gudnadóttir: ‘Keep Frozen’, 2016, installation view // Courtesy of ASÍ Art Museum
Occurring chronologically between two of Cycle Festival’s other events (‘Sovereign Colony’ from autumn 2017 and the upcoming ‘Inclusive Nation’), ‘Cryptopian States’ will draw upon themes of sovereignty, nationhood, and inclusion. More significantly, the date of the event marks the centenary of Icelandic sovereignty from Danish rule—a serious moment in history that will be made accessible through creativity, humour and entertainment.
The event, curated by Gudny Gudmundsdottir, Jonatan Habib Engqvist and Sara S. Öldudóttir, will feature work from over thirty contemporary artists from the West-Nordic region, including Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands, who will play on Icelandic clichés. It will be an opportunity to discover work from unfamiliar practices, and to hear music from both Berlin and Greenland by FRZNTE and Nuuk-based DJ Uyarakq, a line-up that seeks to reclaim a difficult history through sense of solidarity and cultural exchange.
Event Info
RESIDENCE OF THE ICELANDIC EMBASSADOR
‘Cryptopian States in Berlin’
Event: May 26, 2018; 3–11pm
Trabener Straße 68, 14193 Berlin, click here for map
