Bonniers Konsthall Turns 20: Art as Political Resistance in Stockholm

Bonniers Konsthall in Stockholm celebrates its 20th anniversary. Founded in 2006 by Jeannette Bonnier, the institution is rooted in the Maria Bonnier Dahlin Foundation, which has supported 99 artists with grants, exhibitions, and acquisitions. Executive director Ellen Wettmark describes the space as challenging the limits of contemporary art and institutional norms. Notable supported artists include Klara Kristalova, representing the Nordic Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale, and Ingela Ihrman, who exhibited at the 2019 Biennale. Ihrman's recent show "Nocturnal Games" surveyed her work from 2006 onward. Upcoming from August 26 to November 8 is "The Defeated: The Aesthetics of Resistance 2026," a group exhibition featuring 19 artists, filmmakers, writers, and intellectuals. Curated by Joanna Nordin Asp, Kim West, and François Piron, the show draws on Peter Weiss's novel "The Aesthetics of Resistance" (1975-1981) to explore art as a tool for political resistance, memory, and community. Artists include Chiara Bugatti, who evokes her grandfather's partisan experience in "Poses and Postures," and Kateryna Lysovenko, whose painting "Madness of Fascism" addresses the imbalance between victims and perpetrators. The curators emphasize Weiss's relevance in refusing to separate aesthetics from politics, and the exhibition aims to activate historical memory and foster dialogue in a time of war and democratic crisis.