Graphic design: Lars Høie
As we prepare to move to Slakthuset in Gamlestaden, we invited six artists to explore the our new home. During the autumn of 2025, the artists’ works were presented through a series of urban walks featuring performances and other events. A publication summarising the project will be released in autumn 2026. When we open our new premises at Slakthuset in 2027, the artists’ contributions will have left their mark on the building in various ways.
Trailer for Field Studies, an artistic exploration of a place. Longer interviews with the artists are available on each artist’s page. Scroll down to watch.
During 2025 and 2026, before moving in at Slakthuset, we aim to explore and become more familiar with the site through the Field Studies project.
The curators for Field Studies are our Artistic Director, Petra Johansson, together with Caroline Malmström, who has extensive experience working closely with artists on projects tied to specific locations. For this project, we have invited the artists Meira Ahmemulic, Maryam Fanni, Johan Forsman, Ingela Ihrman, Åsa Norman, and Mariana Silva Varela. Through a playful process, we add new stories and interpretations to the surrounding area.
Meira Ahmemulic, Maryam Fanni, Johan Forsman, Ingela Ihrman, Åsa Dybwad Norman and Mariana Silva Varela.
Field Studies is brought together in a publication to be released in autumn 2026, with a launch event on 10 September (text in Swedish).
The publication features contributions from a number of writers. Among them is Axel Andersson, Senior Lecturer in Art History, who examines the donated land and the act of donation from historical and philosophical perspectives. Legal philosopher Merima Bruncevic draws on her research to explore whether cultural rights could be incorporated into Sweden’s right of public access (Allemansrätten). Critic and researcher Kim West connects the concept of the commons to developments in cultural policy.
Additional contributors include writer and curator Dr Bronwyn Bailey-Charteris, writer Zhiwar Rashid, poet Anna Rieder, artist Angelica Olsson, and writer Anders Westerström.
Graphic design by Lars Høie.
The Field Studies project is rooted in Gothenburg’s history. In 1619, the Crown granted land to the city’s burghers to ensure access to land for the common good. Initially, these donation lands were used for food production on the city’s agricultural estates but were later often developed in the public interest with schools, hospitals, and parks.
The site where Göteborgs Konsthall will relocate was home to the city’s municipal slaughterhouse, built in 1905. Today, the slaughterhouse operations are long gone, and the area is undergoing significant transformation. Through the perspectives of the invited artists on this evolving landscape, we aim to explore how Göteborgs Konsthall can serve as a common and a space for the collective of today.
