Arijana Kajfes
Born: Zagreb, Croatia
Lives, works: Stockholm, Sweden
Contact: info@arijana.net
Visual artist working experimentally with borderlines of perception and meaning. Completed studies in sculpture at Kungliga Konsthögskolan (Prof. Bernard Kirschenbaum) in Stockholm. From 93-95 worked and travelled in Africa and Asia. Between 97-99 involved in the development of CRAC - an artist's digital medialab in Stockholm.
Between 99-04 a member of the research team at Smartstudio, an interdisciplinary lab at the Interactive Institute in Stockholm. Has been involved in several cross-disciplinary projects. Exhibits, talks and teaches in Sweden and internationally. Currently working with planning and fund-raising for forthcoming research projects with EXP (Experiments in Cross-Cultural Practices), an art exchange platform between Mali and Sweden that she initiated in 2012.
A monography, Circumambulations, has been published in 2025 by Kerber Verlag, an extensive publication comprising 30 years of artwork.
Solo shows
25 Circumambulations, new and old printed matter, Konstakademien, Stockholm
19 Circumambulations II, Susanne Pettersson Gallery, Stockholm
18 Blood is not Water, Konstakademien, Stockholm
17 Circumambulations I, studio 2009 Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris
16 Unseen, Konstnärshuset, Stockholm
12 Dérive: Tombouctou, La Médina, Bamako, Mali
08 As above, so below, Susanne Pettersson Gallery, Stockholm
04 Occular Witness, Färgfabriken, Stockholm
02 Sub Rosa, Susanne Pettersson Gallery, Norrköping
Selection of group shows
24 Relations, Surprise Lab International, Öland
23 Stuff It, Bonniers Konsthall
22 Konstparken Ulvhälls Hällar, Strängnäs
Avfart, Zimmhall, Stockholm
20 Tyst Vår, Gärdet, Stockholm
19 Ojord, Zimmhall c/o Ekebyhov Slott, Stockholm
17 Konsten vi äger tillsammans, Gävle Konstcentrum
17 So Arty, Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris
16 Samlade verk: 30år med Maria Bonnier Dahlins Stiftelse, Bonniers Konsthall, Stockholm
15 Ur jorden, w.Sekou Sissoko c/o Kalmar Konstmuseum, Kalmar
15 Obetingade slag/Implicit hits, Kalmar Konstmuseum, Kalmar
14 No Sound is Innocent, Marabouparken, Sundbyberg www.a4-room.com
14 Restaurering av inre rum, Charlottenburgs Gård, Solna
14 Artefact: from fetish to commodity #2, Galleri Flach, Stockholm
13 Artefact: from fetish to commodity #1, La Médina, Bamako, Mali
12 Poïèse / autopoîèse: art & systèmes, Université de Toulouse II - Le Mirail
11 Charm and Challenge, NCCA, Ekaterinburg, Russia
11 GHOST, Gerlesborgs Konsthall, Gerlesborg
11 In Focus: Nordic and African Art in collaboration, Supermarket, Stockholm
11 Concrete/Abstractions, Mirai Projects/Susanne Pettersson Gallery, Stockholm
10 The Undistorted Image of..., / OCUS POCUS (w. Christian Andersson), Norrköpings Konstmuseum
08 Spektropija, Riga Art Space, Latvia
07 Spår, Susanne Pettersson Gallery, Stockholm
06 Labyrint, Botkyrka Konsthall, Stockholm
06 Simplicity, the art of complexity, Prix ARS Electronica, Honorary mention / Interactive Art for Occular Witness, CyberArts 2006 exhibition, OK Center, Linz, Austria
06 20 år!, Bonniers Konsthall, Stockholm
05 Filmform presenterar 6 filmer av 6 konstnärer, Tempo dokumentärfestival, Bio Zita, Stockholm
05 Today in Paradise - Genetics &Art, Göteborg New Media Art Festival, Röda Sten, Gothenburg
04 Get Real, Kiasma, Helsinki, Finland / The Museum of Contemporary Art, Roskilde, Denmark (05)
04 Touching the Invisible (Smartstudio), Ludwig Museum, Budapest, Hungary / M'ars Gallery, Moscow, Russia (05) / onedotzero, ICA, London, U.K. (05)
03 Brainball (Smartstudio), Design Interactif, Centre Pompidou, Paris, France
03 Catcher, group work with Smartstudio, Visuella fenomen och Fysikaliska aspekter, Skulpturens Hus, Stockholm
03 Insert - Aspekte Schwedischer Kunst, Bayer-Erholungshaus, Leverkusen, Germany
02 Neuroptera, collaboration w. Monika Nyström, Sculptura 02, Falkenberg, Sweden
01 Mathematica, The Exploratorium, San Francisco, U.S.A.
01 Brainball, group work with Smartstudio, OK Center, Ars Electronica, Linz, Austria
01 The Museum of Future Atrocities, ATA, San Francisco, U.S.A.
01 Mapping the Web Infome, New Langton Arts, San Francisco, U.S.A.
Selection of projects and performances
25 Circumambulations IV (Sorrow), Performancedag #2 @ Kummelholmen, Stockholm
23 Circumambulations III (Ma), Kivik Art Centre, Kivik
21 I am inside who I was, performance for An Infinite Love (Vision Forum/B.Polla), c/o Jean Paul Chatenet, Paris
21 Panta Rhei, public artwork for Hässelby Minneslund, Kyrkogårdsförvaltningen/Stockholm Konst
17 Spirare Spira, public artwork for Kopparlunden, Västerås, Castellum
16 Naiad, public artwork for Vivalla, Örebro, ÖBO/KIWI
15 Through the Looking-Glass, public artwork for Violen, Botkyrka Kommun/Botkyrka Konsthall
14-15 ArtResLab, research for public art project for Nya Hagastaden, Stockholm Konst
13 Artefact: from fetish to commodity, EXP project with Soleil d’Afrique and La Médina, Bamako, Mali
13 The Physics of a Manifold, public artwork for Kallerstadsarenan, Linköping, Botrygg AB/Linköping Kommun
12 Heavy Curtains: Arijana Kajfes and Peter Cederblom CD box for satuuma*kustantamo
12 Neuroaesthetics (symposium), ZKM, Karlsruhe
11 Probing the Boundaries of Insight, performance w. Konrad Kaufmann, Invisible Dialogues, Konstakademien
10 Mother Tounge, performance at AFTER ART for Lee Lozano, Moderna Museet, Stockholm
10 Maelstrom, public artwork for Alderholmen, Gävle commissioned by Gävle Konstcentrum/Gävle Kommun
09 NanoForm, cross-disciplinary reseach project (Swedish Research Council) led by Cheryl Akner-Koler
08 Firework Edition Records/Gallery Niklas Belenius, Departure of Melancholy, Compilation CD_ track 9
Arijana Kajfes: Calling for Mother
07 Motorheart, collaboration w. Anders Boqvist, public sculpture commissioned by Konst på Hög sculpture
park, Kvarntorp, Kumla
OREZ 1, Rupture and Tradition, international trans-disciplinary meeting, Trancoso, Portugal
05 Complexity and Transformation, cross-disciplinary research project (Swedish Research Council) led by Cheryl
Akner-Koler, Konstfack, Stockholm
02 I witness, public artwork for the Royal Institute of Technology commissioned by Statens Konstråd, Stockholm
01 ORB, collaborative art/research project, Conceptual Information Arts, San Francisco & Smartstudio, Stockholm
01-04 Occular Witness, art/research project w. Aurelian and Lili Bria, Esbjörn Eriksson, AnnSofie Börjesson, Alberto
Frigo and Pablo Miranda at Smartstudio, Stockholm
Selection of grants
24 Konstakademien, Sven Ivar och Siri Linds Fond, Stockholm
23 Helge Ax:son Johnsons Foundation
21 Längmanska Kulturfonden
19 Konstakademien, Inez Leanders Prize, Stockholm
18 Konstnärsnämnden / The Swedish Art Council
17 Artist-in-residence, Cité des Arts, Paris / Konstakademien, Stockholm
15 Else Blums Fond
15 Artist-in-residence w. Sekou Sissoko, Bengt Julins Foundation, Capellagården, Öland
15 Längmanska Kulturfonden (for EXP)
13 Statens Kulturråd (for EXP)
13 Konstnärsnämnden / The Swedish Art Council
11 Helge Ax:son Johnsons Foundation
09 Konstnärsnämnden / The Swedish Art Council
09 Svenska Institutet
08 Konstakademien, Stockholm
08 Stockholms stads Kulturstipendium, Kulturförvaltningen, Stockholm
07 Längmanska Kulturfonden
04 Konstnärsnämnden / The Swedish Art Council
04 Framtidens Kultur
Studies
00 Fulbright Visiting Scholar at SFSU, Conceptual Information Arts Dept., San Francisco
99-04 Art-as-research at Smartstudio, Interactive Institute, Stockholm
97 Royal University College of Fine Arts, Video Dept., Stockholm
95- Takemusu Aiki Tomita Academy, Aikido Dojo, Stockholm, 2nd dan
88-93 Royal University College of Fine Arts, Sculpture MFA, Stockholm
Selection of publications, interviews, reviews
25 Arijana Kajfes, Circumambulations, Kerber Verlag
21 Millroth, Thomas, Artist’s Books from a Swedish Point of View, Ellerströms/Tragus pp. 95, 462ff
20 Bons, Magnus (red.), Konstens Frågeformulär #1-132, Konsten Förlag, #53 Arijana Kajfes
19 Arijana Kajfes, I Sinuation med Edouard Glissant, Hjärnstorm nr.134-135 pp.14-18
19 Bons, Magnus, Arijana Kajfes på SPGallery, 2019 @ konsten.net
18 Toft Ag, Tanya (ed.), Digital Dynamics in Nordic Contemporary Art, Intellect / Chicago Univ. Press, pp.42,48,77,89
18 Habib Engqvist J., Hjertström Lappalainen L-E, BIG DIG Om samtidskonst och passivitet, CL(P)Works, pp.17,22,128
17 Lassana Igo Diarra (ed.), Au coeur de Bamako = In the heart of Bamako, Éditions Balani’s, pp.138-139
17 Lambert, Xavier, Poïèse/Autopoîèse: Arts et Systèmes, L’Harmattan (Série Arts Vivants), pp.274-279
17 Peters, Erik, På gränsen mellan verk och social handling, Nutida Musik nr.264/2017 p.14-19
17 Konstens Frågeformulär #53 Arijana Kajfes @ konsten.net
17 Arijana Kajfes, Eva Lotta Holm-Flach, Filippa v Krusenstjerna (ed.) Artefact from Fetish to Commodity, EXP
16 J. E. Andersson, T.Elovsson, L.Jordansson (ed.) The Great Learning Orchestra/A4 Scores
Dan Backman, Vilse i öknen med Arijana Kajfes, SvD Kultur 160407
15 Olle Essvik, Joel Nordqvist, Den Här Datorn, Rojal Förlag, pp 77-86s
14 Olofsson, Anders, Artefact på Galleri Flach, online review @ konsten.net
13 Akner-Koler C, Kajfes A, Norberg B, Yamdagni N: NanoForm, paper for online journal Plastik #3
11 Per Hûttner, Elias Arnér (ed.) Invisible Dialogues - K.Kaufmann/A.Kajfes: Probing the boundaries of insight pp 125-143
11 Schwartzman, Madeline, See Yourself Sensing - Redefining Human Perception, Black Dog Publishing
11 Hebert, Niels,@ www.omkonst.com Konkret, abstrakt - möten och kollisioner
09 Björn Norberg, Jonatan Habib Engqvist, The Nordic Pioneers of New Media Arts, Ars Hypermedia, Issue no.1
08 Arijana Kajfes, Jennie Lindström, Mats Bäcker: Fri Konst Ger Mening, DN Kultur 081124
08 Olofsson, Anders.@ www.konsten.net Susanne Pettersson Gallery, Arijana Kajfes
07 Olofsson, Anders, Att konstruera sin värld, Konstperspektiv nr.4, 2007, pp 8-13
07 Tim Anstey, Katja Grillner, Rolf Hughes: Architecture and Authorship, Black Dog Publishing, pp 137-141
07 Bjurestam Maria, Hägglund Maria, Petersson Mona, Strand Liv, Persson Annika Ruth: LARM Från munhåla till
laptop, ljud i nordisk konst, Kabusa Böcker
06 Sandell, Joanna (ed.), Labyrint, Botkyrka Konsthall exhibition catalogue, p 52
06 Hannes Leopoldseder, Christine Schöpf, Gerfried Stocker: International Compendium - Prix Ars Electronica
2006, CyberArts 2006, pp 128-29
05 Hörgren, Christian : Dada: Duchamp, Nutida Musik, nr.4
05 Högström, Martin : Om Arijana Kajfes Occular Witness, OEI #22 #23 2005 pp331-332
05 Arvidsson, Kristoffer: Utmanande forskningsrapport - eller vad ska man kalla detta verk,GP Kultur, 050504
05 Artist's book (research report): Occular Witness, Glänta produktion
05 Sondergaard, Morten (ed.), Get Real Real Time +Art, Informations Forlag/George Brazillier Inc. pp. 096-097
04 Sophie Allgård, Estelle af Malmborg: Svensk Konst Nu, Wahlström och Widstrand
04 Allerholm, Milou: Vad är ljus?, DN Kultur, 040515
04 Arndtzén, Mårten: radio interview, Bildrutan P1, 040609, 14:00
03 Ingar Brinck, Charlotte Bydler, Yvonne Eriksson, Anette Göthlund, Lena Johannesson, Anna Tellgren:
Från modernism till samtidskonst - Svenska kvinnliga konstnärer, Bokförlaget Signum
02 Borg, Bo: Där vetenskapen möter konsten, Norrköpings Tidningar 020325
02 Artist's research report: orb- a collaborative telepresence project, Interactive Institute