The Origins
Flat Octopus is an international artist- and curator-run collective in Stockholm, Sweden, started in 2019. It consists of seven people with different professional and cultural backgrounds.
The Name
The title, Flat Octopus, points to the flat hierarchy structure of the collective and the main concept of apartment (flat) exhibitions. The octopus is a playful twist, as ‘octopus’ commonly refers to large scale business corporations, an opposite to the nature of the collective.
The Concept
Flat Octopus mainly works with apartment exhibitions. For each exhibition the members of Flat Octopus invite an artist or curator to take over one of their members’ or guest apartments where he/she stays for a period and produces an exhibition. Aside from this, the collective organises workshops and external projects and collaborations locally and internationally.
The Members
Edit Fándly
(b. 1985, Nagykároly, Romania) is a Hungarian curator with a background in art history and literary studies. After establishing herself in Budapest, she is currently based in Stockholm, being involved in several exhibition projects in the capacity of artistic coordinator and independent curator. Loves to swim, explore new cities and occasionally get lost in unknown places.
Juanma González
(b. 1977, Madrid, Spain) is an artist currently working and living in Stockholm. He graduated from Kungliga Konsthögskolan in Stockholm 2016 and in Media from Universidad Europea in Madrid 1999. He uses walking as a method for making art. For the last five years, Juanma has been researching pilgrimage as a contemporary phenomena through the postgraduate courses Research Lab at KKH 2017 and Sites and Situations at Konstfack 2018.
www.juanmagonzalez.com
Paulina Granat
(b. 1992, Stockholm, Sweden) is a cultural manager, curator and artist currently pursuing a master’s degree via the programme for Curating Arts at Stockholm University. She can frequently be seen sketching portraits of people on the commuter train or cuddled up in bed with a good book, science fiction movie or project. In her artistic practice, Paulina enjoys experimenting with artists’ books, plastic and textiles, exploring alternative worlds and oddities within her immediate environment.
Amr Hamid
(b. 1986, Dakahlia, Egypt) is a multidisciplinary artist, curator, researcher, and writer based in Stockholm, Sweden. He is the founder of the Egyptian Cassette Archive project. His practice includes drawing, text, sound, and other experiment-based mediums. Hamid is interested in documentation and how the internet and technology affect human behaviour. His works often combine different methods such as archiving, philosophical inquiry, and sarcasm. Hamid has shown his work in various venues, including the CairoTronica, Cairo; SOMA Art, Cairo; The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Hague; and Youth Salon, Cairo. He holds a BFA with Honours from The Faculty of Fine Arts (2009). www.amrhamid.com
Alice Máselníková
(b. 1989, Zlín, Czech Republic) Painter who mostly paints naked people and strange deformed bodies. Curator with focus on the artist-run sector. BA in Art and Philosophy from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Arts and Design, Dundee, MA in Curating Art from Stockholm University, studied Bellas Artes at Universidad Politécnica de Valencia. Has a penchant for books, whisky, octopodes and discussions, ideally all combined in one beautiful blend.
www.alicemaselnikova.com
Erik Wijkström,
(b. 1976, Västerås, Sweden) is an artist with a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm. Erik Wijkström randomly reorganises, restructures and reevaluates reality to crush convention, conformity and compliance. His practice includes performance, illustration, installations, machinery and organisation of art events. Erik Wijkström is a skilled gallery technician and currently holds a position as such somewhere in Stockholm.
www.erikwijkstrom.net
Former member and co-founder
Franziska Sperling
Flat Octopus is supported by
Flat Octopus 