Maria Nordbäck & Nina Svensson

A collaborative residency at the border between Sweden and Finland

When. Autumn 2019 with start in August and Spring 2020
Where.  Haparanda/ Torneå
Organizers. Svefi, Aines, Resurscentrum för konst (ArtNorth) with the help of Nordisk Kulturkontakt.
Who. Maria Nordbäck (Finland) and Nina Svensson (Sweden)

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Maria Nordbäck

is a visual artist from Vasa (FI). Educated in fine arts at Polytechnic of Applied Sciences in Nykarleby. In 2006-2007 she completed a post-graduate education at Turun Ammattikorkeakoulu within the topic of community-art. Since 2000 she has actively participated in the contemporary art scene. She often works with site-specific projects and
interacts with her surroundings. She is interested in community, social and cultural issues, and she wants to make art visible as a meaningful part of human life.

She has created innovative art projects where a large number of people have been able to express themselves in different social issues. Over the years she has carried out a number of her own projects and participated in group exhibitions, published a board game and publications. Her works range from videos, photos, performances, and installations to discussions and handicrafts.

Nina Svensson

Nina Svensson was educated at the Umeå Academy of Fine Arts. Her artistic practice
focuses on social processes where attentive and observant negotiations can make visible the
distribution and valuation of different forms of capital and ownership in contemporary
society. Her methods entail a long-term presence-to-place approach, but also the development of trust and a space for meaningful artistic investigations, based on co-operation and co-creation with people connected to the topic or location in question. Her work is often placed outside the traditional artistic sphere.

Svensson mirrors her work on other professions, such as ethnological field studies. She carries out educational trips, and mimicks popular adult education through educational circles in workplaces. Her main interest lies in moving from presence to place, and she intends to use pre-existing methods that may not always have been very visible, and that may often have been underestimated in contemporary art. This takes place through co-operating with local organizations that share knowledge and create a sense of community in relation to a story, place or craft.