Luleåbiennalen 2024 – On the threshold of 1:1

The intersection between Art and Architecture is the starting point for the 2024 edition of the Luleå Biennial with the aim to address the drastic changes in Norrbotten’s built and natural environments. The artistic directors Aude Christel Mgba and Bruno Alves de Almeida present On the threshold of 1:1, which will gather artistic and architectural positions that shed light on the resilient practices and empowering alternatives emerging from contexts of profound transition and transformation. The Luleå Biennial will take place in Boden, Kiruna, Luleå and Messaure between 2 March – 26 May 2024.

On the threshold of 1:1

Norrbotten has long been in a stage of change caused by processes such as century-old resource extraction, urban development, environmental degradation, new industries, social segregation, among others. The curatorial framework for Luleåbiennalen 2024 – On the threshold of 1:1 – provides a reflection on the context and processes within Norrbotten and emphasizes its connections to other geographies and communities across the globe which share similar dynamics.

In architecture, the term “threshold” designates a place of transition, of mediation between two spaces. Colloquially, the expression “on the threshold of” means being close to a new and important development. The scale 1:1 is in itself a threshold between representation and reality, in which both have the same dimension, bringing closer the abstraction of plans to their presence in a real context. The expression “one to one” means dialogue and face to face exchange between two or more parts.

On the threshold of 1:1 therefore wishes to critically reflect on the current changes in the built environment and social fabric in Norrbotten, connecting the region to other places and communities around the globe undergoing parallel processes, in order to explore the possibilities that emerge from such states of in-betweenness – say Aude Christel Mgba and Bruno Alves de Almeida

The 2024 edition of the Luleå Biennial presents exhibitions and events in Luleå, Boden, Kiruna and Messaure – both inside and outside traditional exhibition spaces, such as on Luleå’s frozen sea, where the biennial started in 1991.

Participating Artists

The biennial will present new works by Daniel de Paula (1987, Brazil), Em’kal Eyongakpa (1981, Cameroons), Fadlabi (1975, Sudan), Jenny Nordmark (1980, Sweden), wiklundwiklund (1963 & 1964, Sweden), Eveliina Sarapää (1976, Finland), in dialogue with other Sámi architects, alongside contributions by additional artists and architects to be announced soon.

About Luleåbiennalen

The Luleå Biennial is Scandinavia's oldest art biennial, initiated in 1991 and since 2018 organized by Konstfrämjandet (The People's Movement for Art Promotion). Luleåbiennalen 2024 is carried out in cooperation and with the support of many actors and contributors in and outside of Norrbotten.

The Luleå Biennial is a large and important art event and we look forward to contributing to the development of Norrbotten's art scene, as the biennial has historically done. We are a platform which contributes to the local contexts and which creates opportunities for long-lasting and real changes within different areas, in and outside of the region. In Norrbotten, there are many art actors who work professionally in incredibly exciting ways and we are lucky to collaborate with many of them – says Maria Ragnestam, director Konstfrämjandet Norrbotten

The opening of Luleåbiennalen also features a public programme in Kiruna, Luleå and Boden, from 1st to 3rd March 2024, more information will soon be announced.