In the film, The Lobbyists (2009), Libia Castro and Ólafur Ólafsson present lobbyists performing under present working conditions, exploring the maelstrom surrounding their activity in Brussels and Strasbourg.

In preparation for their work, the artists studied historical and contemporary sources constructing the figure of the lobbyist, interviewed and filmed a variety of people associated with lobbyist associations and civilian ‘watchdog’ groups, and dug into registration and music videos.

They commissioned British reporter Tamasin Cave to write an article about the current situation and worked with British actress Caroline Dalton and the Icelandic reggae group Hjálmar to perform this text as a new song and the soundtrack to their video. The video touches on different genres, juxtaposing imagery with a newspaper article vocalized to dub music, and throughout the work humor is used as a binding agent.

On the occation of the exhibition opening there was a conversation between the curators and artist Ólafur Ólafsson touching upon issues relating to Castro and Olafsson´s work. As part of their stay they gave an additional artist presentation open for students and the public at Umeå Art Academy.

Based in Rotterdam and Berlin, the artists Libia Castro and Ólafur Ólafsson have been working collaboratively since 1997. Castro and Ólafsson use a range of media, including sculpture, text, photography, sound, video and installation. Their practice is among other concerned with the ways in which globalization has affected local cultures, transformed national industries and led to an increase in mobility while deepening social injustices. Castro and Ólafsson’s projects evolve out of site research, conversations and friendships that they develop with local citizens, decision makers and illegal immigrants alike, whose unique stories often find their way into the resulting piece that inevitably melds art and everyday life. Their process can be likened to a form of mapping, organically expanding and gaining in precision over time as the artists collect further documents and exchanges. The resulting work often outlines a space of negotiation and rehearsal, translating urban/life experiences into a dynamic pavilion that problematizes the division between spectatorship and participation. Libia Castro and Ólafur Ólafsson have presented their work at numerous international exhibitions amongst other, 7th Liverpool Biennial (2012), and they represented the Icelandic Pavilion at the 54th Venice Biennale (2011).

REWRITE / REDRAW / RETOOL was presented in four parts during the Autumn 2011-Spring 2012, with works by Artur Żmijewski, Libia Castro and Ólafur Ólafsson, Ivor Shearer, Johan Tirén and Chto Delat?. The exhibition series was curated by Rakett.

Through visual and narrative endeavors REWRITE / REDRAW / RETOOL engages in questions concerning how conflicting interest groups negotiate their positions, within existing or fictional societies. Who are the creators of history, how are political strategies played out, and how are art and its institutions embedded in political structures? In the presented works meetings are played out between people and ideologies where conflicts of interests are set in motion to be discussed on arenas within or outside constitutional frameworks. A discursive program is part of the exhibition and consists of discussions, presentations, a seminar, film screenings and book launch.

The exhibition was on view 29.September – 23.October, 2011
REWRITE / REDRAW / RETOOL is supported by Norrlandsoperaen, Umeå and iaspis.