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The Cultivation Series. Hand built porcelain and bread, NYC 2016

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The Cultivation Series. Installation view, NARS Foundation, New York 2016
The Cultivation Series. Installation view, NARS Foundation, New York 2016

The Cultivation Series. NYC 2016

This project started with the idea of combining two materials – one representing a firm structure (as seen in society or nature) and one forced to adjust itself according to that structure – forming a coherent whole.

I ended up combining porcelain, a material I know well, with bread. Bread dough is in many ways similar to clay, but the final products, bread and ceramic, can be viewed as semiotic opposites. I made hand built structures in porcelain, into which I baked bread. The rising dough must conform to the rigid porcelain, and the organic element of yeast adds an unpredictable and living contrast to the sterile ceramic. I let the materials evolve together to form sculptures where both have an equal importance for the final shape.

 

Qixi bridge from Kumla Prison. Venice Biennale 2015

11Detail.10Detail.Installation view. Venice Biennale 2015Detail.13

"Qixi bridge from Kumla Prison" Arsenale Nord Venice Biennale 2015
”Qixi bridge from Kumla Prison” Arsenale Nord Venice Biennale 2015

Qixi bridge from Kumla Prison. Silk thread embroidery, assemblage and drawing. Made during the Swatch Faces Show at the Venice Biennale 2015.
The depicted buildings in this work is Kumla Prison, a high security prison in Sweden, where Cecilia has been making art in collaboration with the inmates for many years.
There are often big flocks of birds resting at the roofs at the prison. The artwork is based on a photo of these birds flying off the roof, reminding of a bridge to the sky. As referred to in the title, there is a bridge made of birds in an old Chinese tale: The Weaver Girl and the Cowherd. It is a love story between Zhinü (織女; the weaver girl) and Niulang (牛郎; the cowherd). Their love was not allowed by the gods, so they were banished to opposite sides of the Silver River (symbolizing the Milky Way). But once a year, on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month, a flock of magpies would form a bridge to reunite the lovers for one day.
There are many variations of the story. The earliest-known reference to this famous myth dates back to over 2600 years ago, which was told in a poem from the Classic of Poetry. The tale of The Weaver Girl and the Cowherd has been celebrated in the Qixi Festival in China (also called the Chinese Valentine´s day) since the Han dynasty, in the Tanabata festival in Japan, and in the Chilseok festival in Korea.

 

Zhinü´s sisters. China 2014-2015

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The Zhinü´s sisters series consists of four hand knotted silk carpets. Each carpet portraits the person who made that carpet. The colors of the carpets are pink and a warm white as a reference to the portrait of Mao on the Chinese 100 yan bill. The title is referring to the Han dynasty love story: ”The Weaver Girl and the Cowherd”. The heroes in the story is celebrated each year during the Chinese Valentine´s day: The Qixi Festival.

The Weaver Girl and the Cowherd.

 

Nine Suns LTD Shanghai 2014

"Nine Suns LTD""Nine Suns LTD" detailCarpet "Nine Suns" detailCecilia stitching with silkStudio in Shanghai

Cecilia stitching with silkCecilia stitching with silk

 Nine suns LTD. Embroidery with silk thread, assemblage with Chinese newspapers, charcoal, white crayon, on an old stained synthetic carpet. W 5meters, H 2 meters.
The title is referring to an old Chinese folktale: ”Hou Yi and the ten suns” a tale about how the world almost got destroyed by the heat from ten suns.

 

Jinmai series. China 2014. Installation view Gallery Art Labor Shanghai. Prints on silk chiffon

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Jinmai series. Prints on silk chiffon scarves.

A collaboration with the staff at Jinmai. I took photos of the staff working in the printing facility at Jinmai in Suzhou. Then they printed the images of themselves on silk chiffon scarves that can be worn as an accessory or shown as photos. The series consists of 16 images printed on chiffon in a series of 5.

 

 

Identiteeth series Jingdezhen China 2011

"Identiteeth" Porcelain.Identiteeth 2011082 (10)082 (9)

Identiteeth consists of two parts. The first is a series of lidded bowls, designed and made by me, with casts of Chinese craftsmen’s teeth as part of the design. The second part consists of traditional Chinese sculptures. I processed the sculptures and added castings of my own teeth.

 

Arm. Foam, 5 meters. Nora Sweden Exhibition ”Himmelsvitt”

Arm. Foam, 5 meters. Nora Sweden Exhibition ”Himmelsvitt”
A giant arm,referring to the painting The creation of Adam by Michelangelo, pointing at the visitors when entering the exhibition.