Nina Mangalanayagam / Blank Pages

The exhibition opens at Bildmuseet during Art Friday on 9 October and is available for press previews by appointment. To arrange a visit or an interview, please contact us by email. Press images.

In the exhibition Nina Mangalanayagam / Tomma ark [Blank Pages], we encounter traces from the Swedish colony of Saint Barthélemy, taking the position of the ‘free Black’ woman as a starting point. Mangalanayagam draws on the story of Ulrica, a woman from the archives, to explore this elusive position in Swedish history. Working through the archives’ fragments and gaps, the artist connects contradictory narratives and offers fresh perspectives on colonial history and how it shapes contemporary society. The exhibition centres on a two-channel film installation and a sound work composed of voices. Other works on display include two series of large-scale photographs, a photographic wall collage, and a Victorian-style Toile de Jouy wallpaper constructed from AI-generated imagery.

The exhibition at Bildmuseet forms part of Nina Mangalanayagam’s artistic research, which is largely based on the work of historian Fredrik Thomasson and the archival material made accessible by him and his research team. Sweden’s physical colonial archive is held at the French National Overseas Archives in Aix-en-Provence and is both fragile and difficult to access. As part of her investigations, Mangalanayagam visited the archives in France and Sweden, as well as the island of Saint Barthélemy. Through what she discovered in these locations, she reflects on history but also on how historiography has shaped the island and Sweden’s national self-image.

About the artist

Nina Mangalanayagam (b. 1980) grew up in Sweden with Danish–Sri Lankan roots. She studied photography at the Royal College of Art in London and has a doctorate in artistic research from the University of Westminster. She works as a senior lecturer at HDK-Valand Academy of Art and Design at the University of Gothenburg, where she also conducts her research.

The exhibition is produced by Bildmuseet, Umeå University, and is part of a three-year research project at HDK-Valand funded by the Swedish Research Council. Curator: Cecilia Andersson.

Programme in conjunction with the exhibition

OPENING NIGHT / ART FRIDAY 9 OCTOBER, 5 PM–MIDNIGHT
Acting Museum Director Anders Jansson will welcome visitors on Floor 3 at 7 pm, followed by Nina Mangalanayagam introducing the exhibition in conversation with curator Cecilia Andersson. The evening also marks the opening of Anneli Furmark’s exhibition Du är jordens medelpunkt [You Are the Centre of the Earth]. (press release) Enjoy the talks, guided tours, a drop-in comics workshop, live music by SUMIE, DJ, bar and more. Welcome! Detailed programme.

Acting Museum Director Anders Jansson will welcome visitors on Floor 3 at 7 pm. At 8 pm, Anneli Furmark will introduce her exhibition on Floor 4 in a conversation with curator Brita Täljedal. The evening also marks the opening of Nina Mangalanayagam's exhibition Tomma ark [Blank Pages] (press release). Enjoy the talks, guided tours, a drop-in comics workshop, live music by SUMIE, DJ, bar and more. Welcome! Detailed programme.

ARTIST’S TOUR / SUNDAY 11 OCTOBER, 2 PM
The Sunday following the opening, Nina Mangalanayagam will lead a tour of the exhibition in conversation with curator Cecilia Andersson.

WRITING WORKSHOP / 16–18 OCTOBER & 24 OCTOBER
As part of the exhibition’s programme, the writing workshop Historien vi bär med oss [The History We Carry], led by author Annica Wennström, will explore writing about colonial experiences, Sámi women’s history and personal stories.

ARTIST TALK / SUNDAY 22 NOVEMBER, 2 PM
A conversation on the former Swedish colony of Saint Barthélemy with artist Nina Mangalanayagam and historian Fredrik Thomasson, Uppsala University. Moderated by museum curator Cecilia Andersson.

DAY-LONG PROGRAMME / FRIDAY 4 DECEMBER
Artists and curators come together to explore connections between plant ecologies and colonial expansion. Participants include Gerd Aurell, Maria Thereza Alves, Clelia Coussonet, Nina Mangalanayagam, Clothilde Morette, Liselotte Wajstedt and Louise Wolthers. In collaboration with HDK Valand and Hasselbladsstiftelsen.