Play: A Third Space Experiment
with Filson Ali, Halima Handulleh, Daniel Jaghobi, Mikaela Karlsson, Abbas Sbeity

Exhibition dates: Nov 12–Dec 12
Vernissage: Nov 12th, 18:00–21:00
Artist talk: Dec 4th, 14:00–15:30

Curator: C. Grace Chang

This exhibition grew from a prompt given to all of the artists participating in our Third Space Residency at Skånes konstförening this Autumn. Like last year, each artist was asked to create an artwork based on a theme. This year’s theme was “play.”

While some may picture children’s toys or phone games, others may think of playing with power dynamics or perception. We gave the artists space to interpret this theme in as many ways as they wished, and the process itself was often playful.

The artworks range from light to serious interpretations of “play,” and these aspects will often appear together. Three of the artists—Mikaela Karlsson, Abbas Sbeity, Filson Ali—chose interactive formats and playful methods to investigate more serious subjects.

Sbeity’s collaborative performance and analog game explores how we co-create the social structures of cities; whereas Ali re-interprets her child’s imaginative vision of the world through digital techniques, and Karlsson engages with the idea of queering modern homemaking.

The other two artists—Halima Handulleh, Daniel Jaghobi—chose to build playful content through audio recordings and Buraanbur lyrical poetry (Handulleh), and photographs (Jaghobi). Where Jaghobi plays with color and the body, Handulleh uses Somali oratory practice to assemble a love letter to the queerness of the wiilo (tomboy) subculture.

Poster design: Andrea Santivanez

About The Residency:

Play: A Third Space Experiment is the exhibition for our Third Space Residency, which focuses on QTBIPOC artists in Skåne. Though some participants have arts degrees, we choose not to focus on traditional criteria, e.g. formal backgrounds. Instead, we select based on ideas, talent, and drive. The residency’s overall aims are to create community and opportunity, and to nurture local talent.The term “third space” is used by a few disciplines. Postcolonial theorist Homi K. Bhabha uses it to describe the social and cultural in-betweenness that follows colonization. We use “third space” to reflect on the ways in which marginalized people form spaces where they are not only the ones being talked about—they’re also the ones doing the talking.

Third Space Residency was created by Skånes konstförening’s curator C. Grace Chang.