Three and a half centuries later, this contemporary art festival brings together around thirty artists under the artistic direction of Karolina Aastrup and Helena Byström. Working within local, national, and international contexts, they respond to this history and its wider implications in diverse ways. The exhibitions are spread across nine locations: Apotekshuset Sollefteå, Brynge kulturområde, Kramfors konsthall, Herrgårdsparken sculpture park, Härnösands konsthall, Sundsvalls museum, Timrå library, Västernorrlands museum and Örnsköldsviks museum
The title The Great Noise (Det stora oväsendet) evokes the local and historical resonance of the witch trials while pointing to the broader social forces and power structures that made such atrocities possible. These dynamics are neither confined to the past nor unique to Sweden: even today, polarised societies driven by inequality, Othering, misogyny, and rapid technological change continue to foster persecution and oppression.
The participating artists confront exclusion, violence, and the spread of conspiracy theories, amplified by the printing press in the seventeenth century and by digital technologies today, while exploring magic as resistance and a force for change.
Artists: Afrang Nordlöf Malekian, Anna Norvell, Björn Ola Lind, Elin Berge, Elme Ämting, Ida Idaida, Joanna Lombard, Josefine Östberg Olsson, Jyoti Mistry, Katarina Pirak Sikku, Kayo Mpoyi, Kerstin Lindström, Laia Abril, Linnéa Falck & Simon Schultz, Lisa W Carlson & Jim Hoult, Maja Daniels, Maria Mäki, Marte Aas, Monica Sjöö, Nadine Byrne, Olivia Plender, Rebecca Sharp, Rut Karin Zettergren & Olando Whyte, Sam Hultin, Sigrid Holmwood, Simon Ferner, Tai Shani, Trinidad Carrillo, Ylva Westerlund och Zafira Vrba Woodski.
The project is led by Konstfrämjandet in Västernorrland in collaboration with the Art Strategy Department of Region Västernorrland and Västernorrland Museum, with support from the Swedish Arts Council, Institut Ramon Llull, and the Längmanska Cultural Foundation. Triennalen is realised in partnership with Apotekshuset in Sollefteå, Härnösand konsthall, Kramfors konsthall, the Nätterlund Memorial Fund, Örnsköldsvik Museum, Sundsvall Museum, and Timrå Library.
Installation images by Jessica Arneback ©.
