Identiteeth.
The series called Identiteeth is made during a six months residence in Jingdezhen, China. Instead of hiring craftsmen, as many artists do, to throw, paint and glaze the works, I used the people in the part of the city called “The Sculpture Factory” in a different way. By getting molds from the local dentist, I included people’s identity as a part of my design.
The other part of the exhibition is the sculptures, made by Chinese craftsmen but with my own teeth/identity added to them.
Identiteeth deals with issues concerning the value of labor in relation to the identity of the worker. I have dealt with the matter of creating, developing and keeping an identity in several art projects. The most recent was the large wall decoration in Kumla Prison in Sweden. Working with the inmates made me even more interested in how we create our identity.
Working in China always makes me aware how much ones identity is connected to the environment. When in China, I become a representative for the very place I try to escape; the western world.
