Go As You Please – Ann-Sofie Back 1998–2018, Liljevalchs Konsthall, Stockholm
I have followed Ann-Sofie Back’s career since I was young. She changed fashion for me as well as for many others. Back has been referred to as Sweden’s Margiela, and when I’m abroad and mention that I am Swedish, I always hear how appreciated she is around the world. A skirt made of thongs, a corset made of chewing gum, and crazy looking models – I’m reminded of Bernadette Corporation and the young Swedish label Love is Shouty but Iconic. There’s nothing wrong with a long beige cashmere scarf, but in a time when capitalism is stifling all creativity, we also need fashion that challenges how we look at the world and ourselves.
Ksenia Pedan, Habits of People, Issues, Stockholm
Giant mosquitos, a radiator, and a couple of paintings were included in Ksenia Pedan’s exhibition, a kind of inactive scenography where the viewer’s imagination could run rampant. I thought about how difficult it is for us to even spend three minutes waiting for the bus without taking out our smart phones. We have lost interest in our own way of thinking and need something that distances us from our surroundings and ourselves. In Pedans exhibition, I started to visualise a world that was stripped down and personal. As I walked through it a second time, I noticed three large black glass doors and an electric cord sticking out of the wall. How could I have missed them? This show was full of surprises, if you just opened your eyes.
Rosa Aiello and Dylan Aiello, LOVE TEST: Cruising for a Bruising,Mint, Stockholm
Collective choreographies where spectators take pictures with their phones without any contact with the actors seem to have become the new norm in performance art. But now it feels like we are entering a new era. Rosa Aiello and Dylan Aiello’s performance at Mint was theatre, art, and sibling love mixed together. I heard Dylan singing and anxiously calling for his sister. When she finally answered, she turned the spotlight straight on him. He did everything to get her attention, and for an hour we were treated to an uninhibited spectacle. The balance of power fluctuated, but Rosa held Dylan like a puppet without strings. I left grateful that art exists and keeps on giving.
Marie Karlberg is an artist. She runs the alternative gallery Beau Travail in Stockholm.
For this year’s contributions to the Advent Calendar, see here
