2021, a year devouted to friendship: Amitié!

In 2021, the Institut Suédois in Paris will be celebrating its fiftieth anniversary and devouting the year to the theme of friendship. The natural starting point is of course the longstanding friendship between France and Sweden, but we will also be celebrating friendship crossing over generations, artistic expressions and borders.
A sketch of Paris and the Institut Suédois with two water color spots on which is written Amitié
Illustration Stina Wirsén and design Pompe Hedengren

The three seasons of our “jubilee” will bring together all the cultural fields we usually showcase: art, design, film, literature, workshops, theatre, music, etc. We begin our celebration in the spring with a historic approach to, and partly digital discussions on, the notion of friendship. The summer and autumn seasons will focus on the friendship that exists between artists, art forms and generations. We hope that this period will be a time for celebration and happy reunions! At the end of the year, we will look towards the future, with a particular focus on young people.

We look forward to welcoming you to our online events…and to the Institut Suédois itself as soon as we reopen!

Here is a selection of a few of our forthcoming activities:

  • The Mouvements! season, extended until 14 February, where the theme of friendship goes hand in hand with that of linking multiple forms of artistic expressions
  • Exhibition of sound sculptures by the artist Karl Dunér
  • Carte blanche to four key players on the Paris contemporary art scene, which will occupy one of our exhibition rooms for one month each: the Rencontres Internationales Festival, Galerie Nec, Galerie Bendana Pinel and Galerie VU’
  • Seminar Paris – a hub for 20th century Scandinavian artists, a collaboration between the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris and Södertörns Högskola in Sweden
  • Exhibition investigating the notions of friendship and love by a group of very close friends who are among the best known artists in their field in Sweden. They include the playwright and director Lars Norén, the designer Jonas Bohlin and the artists Karin Mamma Andersson, Martin Wickström and Jockum Nordström.
  • September will be our month of design, fashion and architecture, part of Paris Design Week and Fashion Week
  • Mini-opera for children based on the book My Happy Life by Rose Lagercrantz
  • Playgrounds, an exhibition by the author Sara Stridsberg and the Parisian illustrator Beatrice Alemagna
  • And much more…

PS. In parallel with all these activities, there will be a programme organised by a number of our partners in France. Watch this space!

Thanks to our partners and collaborators: 
Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation, Jacob Wallenbergs Stiftelse: Särskilda Fonden, Kungliga Patriotiska Sällskapet and Tessinsällskapet.