In 2007, Anna Granqvist and Cindy Lee, along with fellow friends Ellinor Bjelm and Henrik Kihlberg, created KRETS Gallery, one of Malmö, Sweden’s first progressive contemporary art spaces. KRETS (a word that has multiple meanings in Swedish) can refer to a shared interest in something, and, in this case, encapsulates the founders’ love of presenting thought-provoking art that wouldn’t be available elsewhere.
“It was our shared interest in, and passion for, art and music that led us to opening a space where we could show and spread what otherwise have been invisible around here to a wider audience,” Granqvist says.
Granqvist and Lee, who are now KRETS’ sole owners, are both originally from Orebro, a smaller town in northern Sweden. Though they attended the same high school, they didn’t actually meet and become friends until they bonded over a shared interest in contemporary art at the Full Pull music festival in Malmö.
Both women gravitate towards a DIY aesthetic and focus on work that might be overlooked by the area’s more mainstream galleries. Since Granqvist and Lee put the emphasis on innovative pieces, the roster of international contemporary artists that they collaborate with can push creative boundaries without concern about profitability. “Since we are not a commercial gallery space, we can work more freely on projects,” Granqvist says. “When we curate shows, [there is] an urge to get the artists that we work with to transfer the whole gallery space into a world of its own.”
On January 29, 2011, KRETS will be displaying Isabelle Bionot’s intricate embroidery in the exhibition Baldness Pleasure. Bionot’s work was previously shown in a group show entitled Hide and Seek, but this time around, Granqvist and Lee allowed her to go wild with her fixation on bald men, abnormalities, and general absurdity. “We tend to be driven towards somewhat twisted and weird scenarios in artwork,” Granqvist says.
In addition to exhibits, KRETS also serves as one of Malmö’s multifunctional cultural spots, and hosts film screenings, performances, lectures and book signings in order to continually inspire the local creative community.
Over the past couple of years, Malmö’s art scene has grown considerably. KRETS was one of the first galleries in the area to put a spotlight on innovative, conceptual artwork, and Granqvist and Lee have notice that other galleries have started taking more creative curatorial risks as well. One of the predominant reasons that Malmö’s art scene has become so distinctive is because the cost of living is significantly lower compared to larger cities like Stockholm. As a result, Malmö’s gallery owners can concentrate on showing exceptional art without worrying about whether the work is commercially viable.
Granqvist and Lee still have to hold down full-time jobs in addition to pouring their free time into KRETS. Despite the hectic schedule, they are motivated by the city’s creative scene and how it has transformed since they’ve set up shop. “It is inspiring to see how people have this urge to spread their ideas and what they like, and [they’re] opening up their studios and building gallery spaces to show art that otherwise would be pretty hidden,” Granqvist says.