Charlotte ÅBERG
1966, Sweden

Charlotte Åberg biography:

Charlotte Åberg is educated at the Faculty of Art, Umeå University, Sweden. Since the mid-nineties, she has in her work dealt with issues as the belonging to a group, gender, environments and social classes.
Video film, role-playing and the concept of Social Sculpture have been ways to expose the beyond-laying structures. It has also been a way to try and see oneself in a new light, as well as to look at what role one plays.
Since 2002 Charlotte Åberg has been active in relational and participatory art projects in Sweden. The way of working was further developed in western Balkan between 2007-2008 and 2011-2012.
She is inspired of social sculpture, a conception of art, framed in the 1960s bythe German artist Joseph Beuys. It is an interdisciplinary and participatory process in which thoughts, speech and discussions are core materials.One of Joseph Beuys' fundamental messageswas that human beings could learn to be creative in many different ways. With his slogan "Everyone is an artist" Beuys didn’t meant that all people should or could be creators of artworks. Rather, he meant that everyone should apply creative thinking in their own area.
Marinela Sota, former prison director at the Ali Demi prison in Tirana, Albania had the ambition to improve the environment in the female prison “Ali Demi”. After a preliminary investigation, Charlotte Åberg together with artist Lott Alfreds started to work with the prison-staff, in the project “Social sculpture, dreams and gender issues”2007-2008. They developed the ideas of Social Sculpture to fit into an Albanian context.In “Social sculpture, dreams and gender issues” they started to work with art-objects as a part in the dialogue about dreams. In traditional art, the viewer incorporates the pictures and will make his or her own conclusion.
Within this dialogue, the artist can share the ideas but without participation. When the artists started to talk about dream pictures at the work place, we found the way to share ideas in a direct manner. After the positive evaluation in Ali Demi Prison, the artists were invited to take part in the project with Konstfrämjandet as Swedish organisation in the EU-project “The Use of Art Where it’s Hard to Talk” in Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia 2011-2012. The aim was to encourage western Balkan artists to work with vulnerable groups in society.

Education　
1990-1995 Academy of fine arts, Umeå University, Sweden　
1993 Royal Academy of fine arts, Stockholm　

Projects　
2012 ”The Useof Art Whereit’s Hard to Talk” part 2, ArtAgent, Ohrid, FYROMacedonia and Pristina, Kosovo
2011-2012 “The Useof Art Whereit’s Hard to Talk”, Civil SocietyFacility, DG Enlargement, project manager, Konstfrämjandet, Sweden, Albania, Kosovo and FYROMacedonia　
2007-2008 ”Social sculpture, dreams and gender issues”, Ali Demi Prison, Tirana, Albania　
2006 ”The dreamgarden”, SKISS, Tumba eldercare, Sweden
2005”The upsite down day”, SKISS, Botkyrka municipal house; Sweden
2002-2004 ”Ingenting”, Office of Culture, Vårby gård, Sweden　

Selected exhibitions
2012 “The Useof Art Whereit’s Hard to Talk”, Mångkulturellt Centrum, Sweden
2010 Pythagoras industrimuseum c/o Norrtälje konsthall, Sweden, with Annica Åberg　
2009 Verka, Studio 44, Stockholm 2008 EdibleComplex, curator Abigail Simon, Paloma, Brooklyn, New York　
2007 TRUNK video festival, Östersund, Sweden　
2007 ARTIST CLOTHING, Tensta Konsthall, Sweden
2007 (H)eros, Nuit de la vidéo, Casino Luxembourg, Centre culturel Kulturfabrik, Luxembourg, 49 Nord 6 est-frac Lorraine, Metz, France, Moderne galerie, Saarbrucken, Germany, Musée d’art moderne et d’artcontemporain de la Ville de Liège, Belgium, PoleEuropéenCulturel, Athus, Belgium　
2007 Video buffé, Galleri 54, Gothenbourg　
2006 Group show, curator Suzanne Mejean, Orchard, New York　
2006 Fadeto White, White Cube, Norrlandsoperan, Umeå, Sweden　
2006 GOOD TV, Stockholm　
2005 ARTIST CLOTHING, Contemporary Art Gallery, Belgrad　
2005 Human Work, Galleri 44, Stockholm　
2005 Ingenting, Vårby school, Vårby gård, Sweden 2004 Teacher, Östersund videofestival, Sweden 2003 La nuit de l’artcontemporain, FRAC Lorraine, Metz, France　
2003 StanzeAperte, Video festival, Teatro al Parco, Parma, Italy 2001 Outlanders: Contemporary artists from Stockholm, WaygoodGallery / Baltic Centre for
Contemporary Art, New Castle, England　
2002 La stupeur, Polyphonix 40 Video program, Centre Pompidou, Paris
　
2002 La nuit Blanche, Centre culturelcanadien, Paris 2002 I love art video, Theatre le maillon-Wacken, Strasbourg, France　
2002 0703-16 15 23 – Mobil phone party, AFTER SHOPPING, Kulturhuset, Stockholm　
2001 Confidences, Casino Luxembourg, Luxembourg　
2001 Video, Bergens Kunstforening-Bergen kunsthall, Norge　
2001 Utopia, ZincGallery, Stockholm 2001 Outlanders: Contemporary artists from Stockholm, WaygoodGallery / Baltic Centre for Contemporary art, New Castle, England　
2000 Liljevalchs Vårsalong, Stockholm　
1999 Open Studios, IASPIS, Stockholm　
1998 Performance, K-98, Herkulesgatan 11, Stockholm　
1997 Konstfilmstriennalen, Kalmar Konstmuseum, Sweden　
1997 Index edition, Galleri Index, Stockholm 1996 JA, Kulturhuset, Stockholm
1996 Love all, Färgfabriken, Stockholm　
1995 Love connection, Norrköpings konsthall; Sweden　
1995 Body as a membran, Kunsthallen Brandts klaedefabrik, Odense, Denmark

Solo and duo exhibitions
2010 Drömlaboratorium Plattan Library, Kulturhuset, Stockholm, with Lott Alfreds　
2008 Ocean av drömmar, Gallery Candyland, Stockholm, with Lott Alfreds　
2005 Ingenting, Konstakuten, Stockholm　
2000 Love theme, Gävle Konstcentrum, Sweden　
1998 My love has got a gun, Galleri Charlotte Lund c/o Bildhuset, Stockholm　
1995 Students exhibition, Stockholm Art Fair　

Publications　
2010 Sossialskullptur-a collectionofdreams from Ali Demi Prison, with Lott Alfreds, Harakulla Press http://libris.kb.se/bib/12094638　

Seminars / Lectures　
2012 Örebro Konstskola, Örebro, Sweden
2011 Nyckelviksskolan, Stockholm, Sweden
2011 “1+1, Life and Love”, National Historical Museum, Tirana, Albania　
2011 SKISS conference,” Ethics, aesthetics and development in organizations”, Stockholm 2011 YAPP, Young Artist Production, Botkyrka, Sweden
2010 SKISS workshop, Scoopiconference, Stockholm　
2007 What is social sculpture?, Norrtälje Konsthall, Sweden　
2006 SKISS seminar, Konstnärshuset, Stockholm　
2005 MOVE, Borås konstmuseum, Sweden　
2005 RAM 7, Minsk, Belarus

Grants 　
2009 Stiftelsen Längmanska Kulturfonden, Sweden
2007 Step beyond, EuropeanCultural Foundation, Tirana, Albania　
2007 International culturalexchange, IASPIS, Tirana, Albania　
2007 Step BeyondTravel Grant, EuropeanCultural Fondation
2006-2008 2-years working grant, The Swedish Arts Grants Committee　
2005 Travel grant, The Swedish Institute, Minsk, Belarus　
2003 Artist in Residence, O.K. Center, Linz, Austria　
2002 International culturalexchange, IASPIS, Paris　
2001 International culturalexchange, IASPIS, Luxembourg　
2000-2002, 2-years working grant, The Swedish Arts Grants Committee　
1999 IASPIS, International Artist’s Studio program in Stockholm 1995 Helge Ax:son Johnsons foundation, Sweden　

Represented at　
The National Public Art Council, Sweden　
Gävle Konstcentrum, Sweden　
Filmform, Sweden

Source: http://www.charlotteaberg.se/