This fall I have made an exhibition on textile craft at one of the museums in Stockholm, the City Museum of Stockholm. 27 talented crafts people, artists and people working with folklore are participating. Here is the story.
The National Association of Swedish Handicraft Society asked me to curate their 125 anniversary exhibition focusing on people awarded three different kinds of scholarships. Since 1994 these scholarships have been handed out to all sorts of talents.
There were of course plenty of challenges with a project like this. How do you do an exhibition that is engaging and fun with 27 names? Also, the room for this project was a 12 meter vault…
Early on I decided that I wanted this exhibition to be like a collage. Letting the eye wander and just take in various forms of creativity. Some is extremely technical, and some are just emotional. In a room like this, it would be impossible to stop and talk thoroughly about each and every piece of art. In stead I wanted it to be an emotional exhibition. You should feel like you would loose your breath a bit.
Some pieces are very big and some are very small. Various materials. Some pieces are museum pieces and some just things made for your own sake. None of the names were selected by me. They were all receivers of scholarships. My role was to make this exhibition work.
Some pieces were actual dresses or costumes. Like this from Jennie Jacobsson.
Or this in red and white by Elin Ivre.
Or this by Anna-Karin Jobs Arnberg.
The biggest museum piece was this by Sten Kauppi. Normally the art center at Kiruna.
Alos this embroidery by Linda Lasson is huge.
Art work by Edna Martin
Embroidery on a chair by Elin Jantze.
Gunilla Skyttla
Jennie McMillen
Eva Köhlmark
Elsa Agueli
Updated velvet by Hanna Sköld
Both from Eva Kitok
Carpet by Jennie Jacobsson
Silver shining snow. By Katarina Evans.
Meaty and heavt. Apparently a “prayer’s carpet” by Stina Borowski.
One of Sweden’s brightest art stars on an international level – Britta Marakatt Labba. All the artworks had a number. I deliberately wanted that so you could just watch the wonderful pieces and emotionally feel these pieces. Not be obsessed with names. And Marakatt Labba is number 27, and the latest person to receive a scholarship.
Pillow from Eva Berg.
Kicken Ericson
Both pieces from Gun Aschan.
Britta Lincoln
Art work that was actually printed as book covers. By Karin Holmberg
Karin Derland.
Second man to be part of this group. Petter Hellsing.
More physical objects and not just pieces on a wall.
Pillows by Helen Backlund
Embroidered ceramics by Caroline Harrius.
Hnadmade boxes made of mushrooms.
And finally. Annika Havas, head of the board of the society – and me.