Moderna

What exactly are you looking at?

Cara Tolmie, Cancamon (video still), 2016/2018 Performance and video. 20:00 min. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Gethin Wyn Jones

The Moderna Exhibition in Stockholm. Wondering what is happening in Swedish life from an artistic perspective? The latest show that takes place every four years can help you find out. A selection of Swedish artists give their interpretation of everyday life and the results are as diverse as they are striking although there is a similar chord that connects all the works… being Swedish… and ultimately being human.

Ingela Ihrman, Jättebjörnlokan [The Giant Hogweed], 2016 Image from work in the studio. Courtesy the artist © Ingela Ihrman

There are a number of performances not to miss. Ingela Ihrman stages, the budding, blooming pollination and the wilting of a blue passion flower (Passiflora caerulea). ”The Passion Flower” is part of the work ”The Inner Ocean” that is included in the exhibition.

Dinis Machado, Out In Space (Experiences on Autonomy), 2013 A performance series by Dinis Machado. Produced by BARCO. Project developed within the research context of the Choreography MA at DOCH © Dinis Machado

Dinis Machado’s performance ”Site Specific for Nowhere” is an exploration of the appropriation of space. “The work is performed by Machado himself alone, exploring the chosen space with a variety of activities, such as walking and standing, in an ever-intensifying, spiral movement. Step by step, Machado circles the place with his presence and creates a charged space within the space with his movements. Gradually, the territorial claims of his motions go from ambition to concrete fact, insisting on the right to occupy the space and belong there.”

With 36 artists participating, there are many different visions to explore but every artist is united in their quest to illuminate a little interesting nugget about the Swedish here and now whether they are looking back or forward. It’s a reflective moment in the understanding of nature and being human. Our place in the world. And although this is a particularly Swedish experience, it resonates with universal questions. Where are we now and where are we going? Visit if you can.

Moderna Museet in Stockholm