16 May 2011

MESSA Teaser in Reykjavik, Iceland

MESSA Teaser is a small-scale art event featuring a select group of Icelandic and international artists – as well as local galleries and collaborative projects – who will be provided spaces to exhibit and sell their work and promote themselves to the art world and the general public.

MESSA Teaser is organized by Framkvæmdafelag listamanna, an Icelandic visual art organization that produces visual art exhibitions, projects and festivals in Iceland. FRAFL is working in cooperation with SÍM – The Association of Icelandic Artists (www.sim.is). MESSA Teaser has received financial funding from the European Union Youth in Action grant (www.euf.is) and Íslandsstofa - Promote Iceland (www.islandsstofa.is).

This event will serve as a model in preparation for the larger MESSA art fair, which is set to open in 2013 in Reykjavík, Iceland.


EVENT DETAILS

MESSA Teaser will be held the weekend of 20 May 2011 at:

Kex Hostel
Gym and Tonic
Skúlagata 28
101 Reykajvík
Iceland

There will be an invite-only opening reception the evening of Friday, 20 May.

MESSA Teaser will be free and open to the public on Saturday, 21 May from 11 AM to 8 PM.

Additional Events:

Saturday, 21 May, 4 PM
Brain House
Networking meetings and knowledge mediation performance
Venue: Kex Hostel, Skúlagata 28

Recognizing the performative aspect of information exchange, Brain House is conceived of as a performance and emphasizes the sharing of knowledge in unconventional and non-institutional ways without any financial trade. Ten experts in various fields of art and culture will share their knowledge one-on-one with the public through a 30-minute lecture, performance, or dialogue. In an age of information, those who hold information are those who hold power; Brain House will introduce you to a number of accomplished and powerful individuals and give you a chance to pick their brains.

Participants may reserve a conversation with the expert of their choice in advance by sending an email to Karolina Boguslawska (karolina.boguslawska@gmail.com) or by signing up at the venue. As spaces are limited, reservations are on a first-come, first-served basis.

Monday, 23 May, 6:30 PM
Symposium: The Making of an Alternative Art Fair in Iceland
Venue: SÍM –The Association of Icelandic Artists, Hafnarstræti 16

MESSA will be an alternative art fair that shines a light on emerging artists, bringing them together with gallery owners, collectors, publishers and other participants of the art scene. We intend to create a platform for dialog between artists and gallerists, between the alternative and the traditional – whether established or new to the scene, local or international. This symposium will be a discussion and debate on the opportunities for emerging artists and the Icelandic contemporary art scene in general. Special attention will be given to a critical discussion of differences between the organization and culture of the art scene in Iceland and the global art world, as well as to the planning of a major art fair in Reykjavík. Moderator: Shauna Laurel Jones, art historian.

The symposium will be held in English, and is free and open to the public.


ABOUT MESSA ART FAIR

Scheduled for 2013, MESSA aims to be the first international visual art fair held in Iceland, with special emphasis placed on promoting and exhibiting the work of emerging individual or freelance visual artists. Artists and galleries and will have the opportunity to exhibit, promote, and sell their work. However, MESSA is not a commercial art fair in the traditional sense, and the focus is not on selling art. MESSA aims to be more of an art event, with the dual purpose of giving emerging artists the support they need to cultivate their future careers in the art world while also giving the general public access to new and exciting talent and artwork to which they might not otherwise be exposed. MESSA will set a precedent for a new kind of art fair, creating a platform for networking, sharing, collaboration, connections and support within the visual arts.


FOR MORE INFORMATION

MESSA website: www.messa.is
FRAFL website: www.frafl.is