Description

In December 1969, a wildcat strike broke out in the ore fields of Norrbotten. Although it was a record year for Sweden and the state-owned mining company LKAB was making a profit, conditions for the miners were getting worse and worse. The strike spread from Kiruna to Svappavaara and Malmberget. Soon, 5,000 miners had downed tools. Through various political groups, many cultural workers show solidarity with the miners and become involved in their cause. The miners’ strike creates a crack in the façade of the ‘people’s home’ – and radicalises cultural life in Sweden. But in what ways does the strike live on, in the practical experiences and creative output of cultural workers?

Drawing on extensive archive material and a wealth of newly conducted interviews, the participants in the miners’ strike – miners and cultural workers – speak about the events of 1969–70. Strike Art is based on conversations, articles, telegrams, radio and TV broadcasts, minutes, personal notes and more, compiled by the artist Ingela Johansson together with the curator Kim Einarsson and the poet Martin Högström in a collaborative montage project.

The publication is a collaboration between Glänta and Konsthall C.
Ingela Johansson is an artist who trained at Umeå Academy of Fine Arts.