Miriam Andersson Blecher

Miriam Andersson Blecher is the director of Botkyrka konsthall and has worked within the institution since 2007. She has led the artistic program for many years, with a strong focus on broad engagement within the art field as well as with the local context of Botkyrka and the surrounding area of Fittja. By presenting a cutting-edge program of contemporary art and art education, she has extensive experience in what is required to create meaningful encounters where art is at the center.

Miriam has been involved and present in forming the national network for smaller and medium sized artinstitutions in Sweden called Klister and is also on the board of Visual Arts Sweden, which is a the professional association for the visual arts.

Botkyrka Konsthall: Curating art, space and community

At Botkyrka Konsthall, the making of space and the curating of art have become deeply intertwined. Since moving to Fittja in 2019, the art institution has developed into a dynamic environment where exhibitions, architecture, food, gardening, pedagogy and everyday encounters coexist.
The transformation has emerged through practice but also careful planning. Much of it emerged through the way people began using the space. Young people started coming after school, local residents began meeting there, and different groups gradually claimed parts of the building as their own. The art institution became a place where people could simply spend time, alongside its role as an exhibition venue.

At the same time, Botkyrka Konsthall remains committed to contemporary art and to connecting the local community with the national and international art scene. Projects such as Residence Botkyrka have connected international artists and architects with the local area. Collaborations have also resulted in projects such as the Fittjakitchen and public art commissions.

Architecture and the physical design of the building have also developed organically through collaboration, sometimes creating unexpected challenges. The aim is not only to provide a conventional cultural institution, but to create a place where art and artists can contribute to shaping the contemporary art field as well as impacting social development.

Despite its expanded role, the institution insists on being called a Konsthall, a space for contemporary art. Art remains at its centre, while the kitchen, garden, library and community activities form a larger, interconnected ecosystem around it.