Intercult Academy: Digital on Stage – Highlights and takeaways
October 31, 2025
E-Art digital exhibition
November 13, 2025
This article presents the past few months of the E-ART project, which have been extraordinarily busy. At the bottom of this page you will find a link to the online exhibition “Invisible Natures and Future Ecologies: From Decay to Regeneration”.
Art Labs in Stockholm and beyond
During the summer and fall, each partner organisation in the E-ART project has conducted Art Labs in collaboration with local artists in their community. The purpose of the Labs was to implement our Sustainable Art Curriculum in practice, with Lab leaders who had undergone training in the Curriculum modules in Thessaloniki, Greece, in 2024. These Labs turned into exciting events with artists working together with strong aesthetic and environmental visions.
The Intercult Art Lab was divided into 2 parts: a two-day event and a three-day event. Each event had its own Lab Leader and artistic focus; Recycled textiles and home-made paints.
Click here to view the profiles of the Art Lab artists!
Two Art Lab Days at Södergården culture center
August 28th-29th
Two Art Lab Days were conducted in collaboration with Södergården culture center in southern Stockholm. The Lab Days were led by Annika Nieminen Bromberg and Hanna Granlund, who have previously participated in the E-ART Training of Trainers. The Lab Days also featured inputs from guest lecturers Sari Nuttunen and Karin Johansson.
Art Lab at Södergården. Photo by Intercult
What happened during the Art Lab?
The first Lab day focused on sustainability theory with focus on pigments and textiles. Participants began experimenting with different types of pigments, binders, and solutions to create their own paints, as well as applying them on different kinds of surfaces. The materials included earth pigments like umber and sienna, home-made pigments made from charcoal, organic pigments like turmeric spice, binders like egg yolk and linseed oil, solvents like turpentine, and paint water de-toxifying agent bauxite. The textiles were donated to Södergården from a second-hand store operated by the Red Cross.
The second Lab day began with an inspirational presentation on creating sustainable art with a strong emotional core. Participants then kept working on their selected art projects with input from the Lab leaders. The workshop concluded with a group discussion and receivement of certificates.
The Art Lab days were timed to coincide with the Södergården Upcycle Fest on August 29 2025, organised by Södergården in collaboration with the city of Stockholm. On the second day, participants showcased their creations to the public at the event. The day finished with a workshop on EU legislation on chemicals, and opportunities for artists working internationally.
Artists and audience at the Upcycle-Fest outdoor presentation August 29th, Photo by Intercult
Three Art Lab Days at Medborgarskolan Study Association
September 8th, 9th and 11th
Three Art Lab Days were conducted in collaboration with Medborgarskolan Study Association in southern Stockholm. The Labs were conducted by Alice Máselníková, who has previously participated in the E-ART training of trainers activity in Thessaloniki, Greece, with input from Hanna Granlund and from expert guest lecturer Narek Aghajanyan.
Art Lab at Medborgarskolan, Galleri Assessor. Photo by Intercult.
What happened during the Art Lab?
The first Lab Day began with an introduction to the E-ART project by Hanna Granlund. Alice Máselníková then proceeded to lead an interactive theoretical introduction to paints and pigments, including their history, sources, different ways of production, and many different usages. Participants began to create test samples of their own paints and apply them to different surfaces.
The second Lab Day featured a guest lecture from invited expert Narek Aghajanyan. The focus of the lecture was on how to build a painting, including guides on how to create your own binders and glues. Inspired by this, some art lab participants cooked their own glue in the venue kitchen and used it to add collage elements to their paintings, and as a binder. The day proceeded with a brainstorming session. Several artists brought assorted upcycled materials with them from home to incorporate into their artworks. They then began with production of artworks under guidance by the workshop leaders. Some artists began co-producing artworks and works with thematic parallels.
The third Lab Day focused on completing the artworks and preparing for the exhibition. Participants showcased their finalized or in-progress artists creations and reflected on the sustainability of production and outcome. Each participant prepared a short text on the thought process and practical creation of their artwork. The workshop concluded with a group discussion and receivement of certificates.
Exhibition
The Stockholm exhibition opened with a vernissage evening on Friday September 12th, at 17.00-21.00 CET. It was hosted in the gallery space of Galleri Assessor, in collaboration with the Medborgarskolan study association. The exhibition remained open on Saturday September 13th 11.00-16.00 CET and on Sunday September 14th 12.00-16.00.
Vernissage September 14th. Photo by Intercult
The vernissage was attended by representatives of important stakeholders, including the NGO Hållbart Kulturliv Nu, House Blivande and the cooperative/member owned financial institution Ekobanken, as well as the local community.
The vernissage opened with an Introduction to the E-ART project by Hanna Granlund. Hanna presented the E-ART project with its goals and objectives, methodology, outcomes, results and important milestones. The event continued with an Artistic showcase by Art Lab participants. All present artists presented their artworks, focusing on the aspects of sustainability and environmental messages. Then followed a speech by Annika Bromberg about her role as an ART LAB leader, participation in the Training of Trainers, and her own work with sustainability messages in the international art project “The Herds” and the newly founded organisation Hållbart Kulturliv Nu. The agenda wrapped up with short presentations by Camilla Stenmark about her participation in the ART LAB and her sustainability work at House Blivande, and by Bonny Laurén from Ekobanken about the importance of sustainable investments in arts and culture.
Artist interview with Halina Rosa. Photo by Intercult
Reflections on co-creating art
The resulting creations of the Art Labs consist of paintings and collages, as well as textile sculptures with upcycled materials. Put together, many of the artworks reflect a message of the common origin of all things, of all materials stemming from the same source and being continually transformed into one another. Nothing is ever truly lost or added, showing our collective responsibility for our environment.
Another reoccurring theme is time; the life cycle of materials, the life cycle of human generations, the change of seasons. Many artworks reflect a sense of fleeting time, or of time running out.
The collaborative process laid in the co-creation of communal work materials: Participants collaborated on making large batches of glue, binders, paints and fabric scraps. These were shared and ended up as part of many artworks. Thanks to the artists sharing common materials, the finished art pieces gave a harmonious impression in terms of colour and scale.
Ethical and sustainability reflections
Several steps were taken to minimize the need for new equipment and materials for the Art Lab. For the textile artworks, sewing machines and equipment were borrowed from the culture center. Second-hand fabrics were sourced from non-profit organisations. The materials that had to be bought for the labs included pigments, binders, solvents, mixing tools and safety equipment like gloves and masks. Selection of materials prioritized organic and earth-based pigments and binders, while minimizing the use of solvents with volatile organic compounds. The venues had good access to natural light and the Labs took place during daylight hours, minimizing the need for artificial light. During the Lab, waste materials were sorted into paper, plastic, organic waste and hazardous waste, and then taken to recycling. Textile waste presented a challenge, since Sweden recently implemented a new rule of separating textiles from other waste materials, while textile collecting centres remain significantly rarer than other recycling centers. Textiles were taken back to the Intercult office for later disposal.
Preparing the local exhibition. Photo by Intercult
Launch of the online exhibition
Now it is time for the results of the project to be shared with the world through E-ART Digital Gallery “Invisible Natures and Future Ecologies: From Decay to Regeneration”. In this virtual space mimicking an art gallery, a selection of the many, many artworks created during the Labs are showcased alongside their artistic descriptions and curatorial texts.
Click HERE to visit the online exhibition
If you wish to learn more about a certain creator, you can meet them and see their FULL portfolio in the E-ART Artist Profiles. With this, we seek to support artists to reach outside their local areas and exhibit in an international context.
Are you curious about what the Art Labs were like? Do you want to partake in video tutorials on sustainable materials and methods? Maybe you are interested in artist interviews about what sustainability means to their practice? If so, check out the E-ART YouTube channel
Follow the next phase of the E-ART project on our social media!
THANK YOU TO:
Södergården culture center
Medborgarskolan study association and Gallery Assessor
Hållbart Kulturliv Nu
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