As a reformulation of the title of Richard Hamilton’s 1956 collage, the festival was named Just what is it that makes today so familiar, so uneasy?, and it explored shifting social and economic relationships. The curators connected this theme with the local community, partly through the use of residential homes, business buildings, garages, fishermen’s shanties and public spaces in Svolvær and Kabelvåg. Works by twenty-six international artists were presented across twelve exhibition spaces. At the cutting edge of the festival was a series of events called ‘innstikk’, which consisted of meetings, lectures and workshops that formulated problems connected with the festival themes for a local audience. Another new element involved guided tours with LIAF hosts – local experts from various backgrounds who communicated their own unique perspectives on the festival and the art.

Curators: Anne Szefer Karlsen, Bassam El Baroni and Eva González-Sancho.

Link to the website for LIAF 2013