Anders Jansson, Curator at Bildmuseet in Umeå, Sweden

On February 18, 2022, we’re honored to open the first North Atlantic Triennial, a contemporary art exhibition co-presented by the Portland Museum of Art, the Reykjavík Art Museum in Iceland (where the exhibition will travel after it leaves the PMA), and the Bildmuseet in Umeå, Sweden (its third venue). This is the first exhibition devoted entirely to contemporary art of the North Atlantic region, and a chance for the PMA and Maine artists to collaborate with some truly exceptional international partners.

To help introduce you to Triennial curator Anders Jansson at Bildmuseet in Umeå, Sweden, we asked about his interests and insights on the upcoming exhibition:

Fifteen years ago, I moved back to Umeå, Sweden. After enrolling at Umeå University, I studied Curatorial Studies in Stockholm and worked as a curator and museum director across Sweden. In 2018, I joined the curatorial team at Bildmuseet. I used to work there as a student, so it was familiar, but at the same time totally different.

One of the first projects I got handed was to work with the PMA and Reykjavik Art Museum to curate the North Atlantic Triennial. Launching in Portland, it’s not only a presentation of an unprecedented cross- section of artists from the North Atlantic region but also a project that I hope will strengthen a network of artists and audiences in the region. With the international tour ending in 2023, a lot will happen within the context of the exhibition. It will be the same but also different.

I started collecting old cookbooks as was a way to link my present to decades past, using the same recipes as my great-grandmother and sharing her flavors. The first time I tasted [the Maine soda] Moxie, it threw me back to my childhood as it reminded me of candy I hadn’t tasted in 30 years. My first visit to Portland, Maine, is now interlinked with my grandmother who never travelled but took me to buy candy from across the road.