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Aarhus 2017: Permanenta

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Permanenta: The Last Edition is an ambitious contemporary art project in development, as part of the Aarhus 2017 European Capital of Culture programme, a partnership of the city’s two leading art institutions, ARoS Museum and Kunsthal Aarhus, with PIT/Aarhus University. Permanenta will be global and local in its reach, with a critical agenda of international significance that is also relevant and accessible for all. It builds upon a long tradition of experimental projects and collaborations in Aarhus and the region: In 1969 ARoS Museum (then Aarhus Kunstmuseum) and Kunsthal Aarhus (then Den Permanente, alias Aarhus Kunstbygning) created a major international festival, entitled Aarhus Aben By (Aarhus Open City), or ‘ONCE UPON A second… IN THE FAR EAST, sorry WEST!’. Den Permanente (The Permanent) is also the name of the popular beach on the outskirts of the city, set against a backdrop of the city’s international container port. A series of exhibitions and site-specific projects will take place across the city, alongside a public programme to explore the “imaginary permanence” of major art events (like biennials) under the conditions of globalisation and transnational capital. PIT will be developing participatory interventions related to the public art commissions building on its previous work with public wifi.