Œuvres/Homo Capax The exhibition took place between 14

Œuvres/Homo Capax

The exhibition took place between 14

of February and 23

of April. It was a co- operation between Swedish Institute and Galerie NeC and it was curated by Alain Chiglien, Roger Nilsson and Gunilla Norén. The exhibition was located in the Swedish Institute in Paris and at Galerie NeC (only blocks from the institute).

Œuvres/Homo Capax was a retrospective exhibition and it was titled after one of the art works that was included. The exhibition consisted of six parts; Studio, Creatures,

Schoolyard Monkeys, Homo Capax, Wheel throwing from inside and Enlightenment. In Studio I showed studio ceramics and studio glass from 1998 –2013. Creatures (2008) and Scoolyard Monkeys (2007-2011), are both installations with more or less explicit narratives. Homo Capax, is a kinetic installation that includes a performance part. This part was emphasised during this exhibition. Wheel throwing from inside (2013) is a video playing with perspectives. And finally, Enlightenment, which is an installation from 2013 with bearings on ethical and philosophical questions concerning science and knowledge. Homo Capax, Enlightenment and Wheel throwing from inside are works created as part of my reasearch. The body of works are quite heterogeneous. This is maybe most obvious when looking at what role the artefact plays in the different art works.

The base for my research is my practical knowledge as a ceramist. It could also be described as my capacity to create artistic meaning in clay. The creation of meaning in clay has a central place in my research as well as in the exhibition Œuvres/Homo Capax.

The exhibition is, both from my perspective as researcher and as ceramist, an attempt to examine artistic meaning and the creation of it with the exhibition context as the

backdrop.

The artefact’s privileged position is under questioned. When talking about visual art this is no news but it is so, to some extent, when talking about crafts. The ambition with the exhibition is to probe this phenomena as well as contribute to the discussion on the subject.

In this context Marcel Duchamp and his early ready-mades plays a central role. He is given a central place in art history and art theory. His works heralds new art forms such as conceptual and immaterial art. When examine my own doubts around the ability of the crafted artefact to distribute any kind of artistic meaning Duchamp becomes a key figure. This doesn’t show as a direct influence in my own works but rather as a

theoretical stance from which my reflection has it’s starting point. To be more concrete,

my interest lies in an examination of how my initial conception of the artistic meaning in

my work changes when made public in the exhibition context. The understanding and

the meaning that is given to the artist (me) in and by the process of (craft lead) creation

tends to change when the works goes public. So, what happens when the works moves

from the workshop/studio to the art/crafts scene? What kind of doubts arises within me

as an artist in the dislocation or loss of meaning that takes place by the transfer?