During the planning and building of the greenhouse we were quite precise and careful to listen to each other’s thoughts and give space and time on how the place could and would be. But as a plan for what would be happening inside or outside the greenhouse, was that there was no plan. 

 

The greenhouse was built to see what happens if we make a public space and hand it over for others to use. And that has been something that has stayed with it all along. But by making this space and during the years it has been active, it has opened up questions like what is an open space, how can we and others operate in it, what it is to be showing something to someone and what kind of expectations does a public space or exhibiting carry with itself?

 

The open greenhouse is an unusual place for culture and one main character that it has are the plants that it is filled and surrounded with. Combining the artworks with them creates some kind of communications between them and that is something that defines it as an exhibition space too, creating some of the atmosphere that the exhibition will have. In any case the space has still been able to host all kinds of medias from exhibiting painting, sculptures and installations, sounds, to texts, poems, music, movies and performances. The general feeling in the exhibitions and events has been a curiosity on how to react with the space, but also a feeling of softness and interaction. And when the greenhouse has been used for events and performances, the performers have felt the presence of the plants to be soothing and having a feeling of some kind of easiness around them. Maybe, and hopefully, by taking the exhibiting of the artworks and events outside and with the plants makes it also to have feeling of being less disconnected?

 

Alongside of thinking the space as a space for events or exhibitions, there has been an idea of thinking about the process of making art, and if that is something that could also be opened up. The idea drew it’s interest from a sudden event witnessed in Athens, where some group of friends were playfully using an abandoned amphitheater in a middle of a small forest, to practice and perform a play, which at least seemed to be more like fun daytime activity than something serious aiming to an actual theatre play. To witness this scene of practicing and repeating, was curious to look at, for the small changing of the events, but also for the trying of finding a way to express emotions in a truthful way. This opened up thoughts about artistic process, and what are the stages that it has. Could it, if opened up, bring visible something that is otherwise hidden from the viewer and from the artwork? And also think about what does it mean that the work is ready or can it be ready in many stages? Or in the other hand, when thinking about artistic process, we thought about it also from an artistic point of view and if it would sometimes benefit if you could bring something outside of the sometimes lonely studio space, and have a change for communication while making it? By witnessing the scene of practice, the thoughts floated also to think about a public space and exhibiting in common - and to think about things like what it is to exhibit or be in front of someone else and how do we experience a public space with it’s norms and rules. And question of what it is to be unready or unfinished in front of someone else and why is it something that is not desired? And if this is something that can be thought more?

 

We also wanted to have a feeling that from having an idea of exhibiting something can be followed with a fast implementation or trying out, rather than it being something that would regard a long curatorial process with working, applying and waiting. So that the rhythm of the working and exhibiting is something that the artist, curator or other creative person can decide themselves, when is the right time to exhibit and what. To bring a different kind of rhythm in the exhibition making, but also to think what an exhibition can be and who is allowed to exhibit or perform publicly. With these thoughts in mind, it was clear that we didn’t want to take a curatorial role with the space, but there was a thought that there are so many creative people around us with whom we are happy to share the space with, and at the same time to make the space more interesting.

 

The exhibitions that have happened at the open greenhouse have been organised quite organically, usually everyone working around them in a way they can. 2022 we started to get a bit more organised with the greenhouse and started to apply grants to be able to cover some costs of the exhibitions but also to be able to take care of the greenhouse as a building and fund the growing of the plants so that it’s free for those who take part in it. To be able to do that we have now a loose yearly program for the exhibitions from mostly consisting something what people have been suggesting to us, or by us telling about the greenhouse to someone we think might be interested in it. By planning something in before hand there is a change to create a program that mixes things that are well thought and carefully implemented, with something that has a faster rhythm and  kind of openness to it. This we have felt to create a nice rhythm and balance of different kinds of events and a program made by artists in different fields and different phases of their practice, but also activate a public space and open ideas what can be done in it.

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We share information about the upcoming events to our news site here and with posters at the greenhouse. And if you feel like presenting something, feel free to contact us. We try to support all kinds of things happening there.