Working with contemporary history in collections: The Baltic Case

Art museums curate and collect the past into the present, but are themselves also subject to history. This is visible in times of geopolitical changes, such as the system change in 1989. 36 years later, the topic of "1989" raises questions for the museum in the Nordic-Baltic region. How did the collecting work and museum exchanges take place during the European 1989, and what traces has it left on the institutions today? During the system change, new institutions were created and new art historical narratives began. This happened in a time of scarcity and transition to a new art world, where the possibilities for collecting were limited. Therefore, collecting work on the decisive era of the system change has had a high priority in recent years, as new exhibitions in Riga and Vilnius show. Forgotten collections of art transfers during times of conflict have been made visible through exhibitions such as the Danish collection in Kunsthalle Rostock and the Latvian collection in Malmö Art Museum. New museums focusing on the significant era has emerged, like Wende Museum on the American West Coast. A complimentary perspective comes from artists working with collections to interpret contemporary history.

We invite you to a workshop about the art museum's work with contemporary history through the case of European '89. At a time of crucial importance for creating contacts in the Nordic-Baltic region, the workshop is an opportunity to meet colleagues from art museums throughout the Baltic region and to discover Malmö's art institution.

The workshop is part of the research project “1989: Changing Europe? Contemporary History as a Cultural Heritage Task for the Art Museums” (University of Copenhagen and Malmö Art Museum). 

Participation including lunches, dinner and accommodation is provided by the project for the invited participants. Please inform us of any dietary restrictions.

Sign up

Sign up by writing handberg@hum.ku.dk by 27 august 2025. 

Programme

 

Malmö Konstmuseum, Studiesalen

12.00-13.00 Meet for Lunch at the museum
13.00-13.05 Welcome greetings by director Kirse Junge Stevnsborg, (Malmö Konstmuseum)
13.05-13.30 Introduction by Kristian Handberg (University of Copenhagen): Collections as a lens – the case of 1989
13.30-15.00 Arta Varpa (Latvian National Museum of Art, Riga): Dismantling the Wall. Latvian Art 1985-1991

Lolita Lablonskiene (National Gallery of Art, Vilnius): ”Transformation” in Lithuanian Art

Melanie Ohst (Kunsthalle Rostock): The Kunsthalle Rostock (Germany) and the heritage of the Biennale of the Baltic Sea Countries: Potentials, Challenges and Negotiations
15.00-15.30 Coffee break
15.30-16.15 Guided tour to Malmö Konstmuseum by Anna Johansson (Malmö Art Museum).
16.15-16.45 The Latvian Collection – from Riga to Malmö
16.45-17.45 Keynote lecture by Joes Segal (Wende Museum, Los Angeles)
19.00 Colloquial Dinner at a restaurant in Malmö

Hotel in Malmö: Mayfair Hotel Tunneln

 

 

Malmö Konstmuseum, Kungsparken

9.30-11.00 Joel Odebrant (University of Copenhagen/Malmö Konstmuseum): Malmö Konstmuseum: Researching a Collection

Jagna Lewandowska (MSN Warsaw): Collection work at MSN Warsaw

Claus Carstensen (artist and curator): Res Publica – art and politics between Denmark and Germany

Short break.
11.15-12.00 Discussion in groups: Workshop: What have we done with our collections? Group discussion
12.00-12.15 Concluding remarks, evaluation
12.45 Lunch at Malmö Konsthall
13.30-15.30 Guided tour to Malmö art institutions by Joel Odebrant