THE OBJECT AS MEDIATOR
An art residency by Giel Louws at Slipvillan, an art inititive in Stockholm Sweden. Running from June 19 till July 8 2023 with an exhibition from July 8 till july 23 2023.
This reportage contains images of the proces, a blog and pictures of the exhibition.
Preparations
29-5-2023 Today I had a Zoom meeting with Michel Lee. He is the curator of the China, Korea, and Sven Hedin collections at the National Museums of World Culture, Sweden. As you may know I have an obsession with early Chinese ceramics, and want to connect the Asian art museum in Stockholm to my residency. I explained to him that I want to focus my residency on the importance of objects. (the working title of my residency is The object as mediator) The conversation with him quickly evolved in a stream of associations that really helped me further. I was aware that the museum holds the collection of Johan Gunnar Andersson a groundbreaking archaeologist in the field of Neolithic Chinese art. Michel pointed out to me that they also hold the Song dynasty shard collection collected by Nils Palmgren. I own and adore the amazing book on his journey and passion.
I explained that I was specifically interested in how our relation to objects might help us to relate to the world, and that started a brainstorm session. The part that particularly interested me is when we talked about displaying and storing objects, and how it speaks about how we value these objects. Michel told me that in the 90's the museum made the mistake (in his eye's) to dissociate objects with the boxes they came in, when stored into the collection. It was a practical choice, but it removed some of the history of (ownership)
of the objects. I asked him if they kept some of these boxes, and he confirmed that. These boxes (and stands) really caught my imagination. How to be closer to the soul of an object, then in its absence? These boxes and stands reveal us the perceived importance of the objects from the previous owners.
30-5-2023 The object as mediator is the title of my residency. This title came to me by reading and listening to Byung Chul Han, the Korean/ German philosopher. Han has a specific interest in objects, and he writes about them in his books Saving Beauty and Non-objects. He juxtaposes our relation to objects to our relations with the digital realm. He posits that we loose our ability to relate to objects by only relating to digital screens. Relating to an object is complex and an object demonstrates resistance. We can for example never completely own or understand an object. The object for example resists to our inquiries through hiding its back, through a resistant surface, and through purpose and meaning that escapes us. For Han relating to a resistant object teaches us to relate to 'the other' as in other people. In relating to other people we also encounter resistance and hidden sides. Another quote by Byung Chul Han that caught my imagination is that he said; through objects we understand the world around us. That led to my title; the object as mediator. As I interpret this: objects help us to relate to the world around us, and help us to relate to others. As an artist I try to relate to the world by making objects. My process, and its artifacts mediate between me and my surroundings. Of course the theorem has a much wider reach. The objects that we keep, collect, and cherish help us to relate to our daily life. This could be the inherited teapot, our favorite chair, a piece of jewelry, or our collection. These things give us history, belonging, and future. Caring for these objects, and usage of them give us continuity and solace. This is what I would like to ponder over during my residency.
1-6-2023 Thinking about the unrevealing nature of an object I tried to understand something of the theory of the object thinker Graham Harman. Harman's philosophy is described as objectoriënted ontology, shortly put: objects exists as real entities, and we cannot really know them. Listening to one of his online lectures he stated something that really stuck with me. It was something like this: we can perceive objects in a similar fashion as objects perceive one another. When two objects encounter each other they can be aware of each other with the properties they have. In the case of the meeting of objects we could think for example of gravity, temperature, etc. When we encounter an object we can perceive it with our own abilities of perception. For example we can see it, touch it, smell it, etc. But just like the meeting of two objects, we only perceive some of the properties of this object. Many properties of this object remain hidden for us, this makes an object forever mysterious and unknown. For the object-oriënted artist this notion is very important, this forever mystery of an object is exactly where it's quality lies.
2-6-2023 Objects and authenticity, an ever returning question, especially for a collector as myself. Collectors are obsessed with authenticity of an item, is the item from the maker/ period it is supposed to be from? This quest for the authentic item has a complex relation with the items as such. As long as an item is perceived as authentic the observer has a genuine attachment to this item. If the same item turns out to be a fake, the whole perception of the same item changes. I see many Chinese ceramics pass before me, because it is my passion.
On my earlychineseceramics page on Facebook hundreds of items pass by in a month. Many questions about authenticity are posed, and many of them can be solved by the standards of quality and beauty. If an item somehow is off on proportion, size, color, it is time to start questioning it. These standards are hard to convey and teach, many think beauty is a matter of taste. A deeper sense of beauty can be learned however by studying and looking at objects over and over again. Here is where my inner collector meets my inner artist.
In the first blog I featured the book by Nils Palmgren. I hope to see collected objects by him at the museum. My Facebook friend Lennard Utterström reacted to my blog by posting some objects out of his collection. The objects are made in the authentic Song dynasty molds depicted in the book. Palmgren had them made in China as examples. In a strict sense these are non-authentic objects, not being of the Song dynasty. Seen in an other context these are authentic objects related to Nils Palmgren and his research. The term authentic in the realm of authentication should be looked upon with a frown sometimes.
This tiny fragment is supposed to be a Ru ware shard. Ru is one of the rarest Chinese imperial ceramics. The tiny object obtains an aura by the box it is presented in with the Chinese text. If proven as nonauthentic is is worth nothing.
Authentic fake objects made for Nils Palmgren.
4-6-2023 Yesterday I went to Amsterdam by train to see some exhibits. It is three hours by train, and I forgot to charge my phone. Luckily I brought the book Children of the yellow earth with me by Johan Gunnar Andersson. The Swedish geologist / archeologist / paleontologist did groundbreaking work in China. He discovered the Yangshao culture, and studied early Chinese civilizations for the first time. The book gives account of his travels and methods. It must have been an amazing moment to discover shards of completely unknown pottery, from an unknown time and people. Slowly the outlines of a timeline started to come together. The shards and pots took on context and meaning after just being shards. On a particular moment he is shown an amazing unbroken piece in a house. He is determined to buy it, and suddenly villagers start showing up with large amounts of unbroken pieces. After a buying spree and rising prices he comes to the realization that he himself is the market. Some time later when visiting gravesites he sees the results of his buying; robbed and ruined gravesites.
It is a decisive moment; an object without context. Maybe that is how people feel when they encounter contemporary art. Maybe we need to realize that it is a great gift to see something and just be astonished.
5-6-2023 Some pieces in my collection of early Chinese ceramics came with a custom box. I am fascinated by boxes, and find that unpacking a box is a ritual that is very pleasing. What I am contemplating at the moment is the absence of an object. It is well illustrated in this box I have especially made for a brush washer.
The box with it's contents was once part of the Lips collection, shown by the collection sticker. Showing the extreme care for the object, a picture of the object was placed on the box as well. When the box is empty, an indentation shows some of the features of the bowl that this box was made for.
The box shows the reverence for the object, and as you will: the fear of losing or damaging this piece. Somehow the absence of the object would be unbearable, and I can imagine that the monetary value plays almost no part in this consideration. Maybe the imagined absence of an object refers to much to people we lost or might lose in the future. That is one of the reassuring elements of collecting objects; their permanence.
6-6-2023 Das Ding an sich ist ein Unbekanntes wrote Immanuel Kant. The object in itself is an unknown. This must have been the basis for Graham Harman's thinking on objects. Kant poses the theory that all objects appear to us through our senses. These experiences are basically chaotic if they were not arranged and structured by our brain. These two processes stand between us and this object. Our observation is not based on the object on itself , but how the object appears to us. How objects appear to us, versus what they really are fascinates me, and regularly occur in my work. It is another phenomenon as Kant talks about, but for me these ideas touch.
A work from the exhibition Wormholes. An OSB chest with an 'OSB painting'.
9-6-2023 The Japanese have a specific interest in packaging and storing items. For storing ceramics there is the Tomobako, a wooden box with lid bound by a ribbon. For over a longer period I am interested in these boxes, and I made a few myself. Opening a box and revealing it's contents has a ceremonial quality to itself. In preparation for my residency I made a box from cardboard, painted with watercolor. The object is somewhere in between a Tomobako, a watercolor, and a sculpture. This ambiguity interests me a lot.
11-6-2023
Another storage utensil that is Japanese in origin is the Shifuku. A shifuku is a storage bag for ceramic wares, and protects the ceramic piece. The shifuku can be places in the tomobako box, mentioned in the previous posting. This bag is a beautiful work on itself, and very intricate to make. A shifuku also has this ceremonial quality, and speaks of the care that surrounds a ceramic work of art. In my work in made some shifuku in less traditional ways, and for my exhibition "the loyalty of objects" I made an edition with shifuku made of reclaimed painted canvas.
The picture shows two traditional Japanese shifuku. The middle one is made by my sister, which gives it a whole meaning by itself. It is a perfect fit for a Song dynasty tea bowl as you can see. Browsing on the internet I came across a shifuku in the Smithsonian collection: https://www.si.edu/object/storage-bag-shifuku-tea-ceremonyutensil%3Afsg_FSC-T-14 From the very prominent collector Freer, who I admire. The note by this shifuku struck me: Notes:[1] This bag once held a ceramic owned by Charles Lang Freer but was separated from that ceramic at an unknown time for an unknown reason, most likely after Freer's collection was brought to Washington, DC (see note 2). It seems an amazing pointer to my first posting, and might direct me to what I want to do with my residency.
13-6-2023 The object as mediator is a wide concept to research. It is easy to fall into pretentious plays with words, that in the end seem to lack depth or real content. I often have these experiences in the contemporary art scene. So how do I get close to this notion, and how do I return to my practice of making objects? I came across the exhibition Imperial packing art of the Qing dynasty thanks to David Lane. In this exhibition features the Red Five-Tray Lacquer Container of Writing Brushes Made of Rabbit’s Hair Used by Emperor Qianlong to Write Flower Poetry The Qianlong Period of the Qing Dynasty (1736-1795)Length: 28.2 cm Width: 21.4 cm Height: 36.2 cm’. The emperor shows here his devotion to the arts and love for collecting. Thinking about this object I thought of my brother, also a collector of all sorts, who also loves arts and crafts. I remembered him showing a beloved toolbox, and I asked him to send me pictures.
In my thinking these objects share the core thought of my project. These objects have a symbolic significance, it shows how these two men deal(t) with the world around them, it reveals something about their thoughts, their sensibility, their grip. I would love to see more of these symbolic objects, in the form of boxes, cases, cans, holders, cabinets, displays, etc.
15-6-2023 Last night I read a paper on how visitors react on authentic objects in museums. The research was quite scientific, but has its limits. The interesting thing is that visitors were quite accepting of replicas in museum displays. If the replicas were properly identified as such, people had quite high acceptance for them. According to research authentic objects supposedly were inspected longer, and tended to raise more questions then replicas. The placement of objects was also found to be of great importance to how they were perceived. One thing that stood out that children valued authentic objects more then replicas, and tended to explore them more deeply. Important notice is that art museums were not included n this survey. Maybe because authenticity is a particular difficult theme in the realm of the arts.
16-6-2023 I presume that the richness of a culture of storage boxes or display materials depends on if you actually have something to store. And what it is it that you store, is it a daily food, or a precious family heirloom? My family is from humble backgrounds, and there was no much luxury in our past generations, except for some traditional jewelry. That means there is not much to inherit for the next generation, and there is no culture for objects that are not functional. I remember we had a tea-cabinet with a glass door that held some memorabilia and pretty things. That is probably the first display I saw in my life.
Stone and its replica. Giel Louws 2022.
A tea cabinet, somewhat similar to the one we had at home.
My love for surrounding myself with beautiful objects and art is probably partly a reaction to the scarcity of those in our upbringing. The almost suspicion of 'useless’ objects is probably linked to the Dutch (reformed church) culture.
In my collection of Chinese ceramics there are quite a few humble utilitarian objects too. Seen that the majority of people only had acces to these more humble pieces, they probably tell the most of a culture at the time. There is not too much distance between this Cizhou ware bowl from around the 13th century. and the birch box.
A Swedish birch bark circular container, having floral rose marling decoration. The pine fitted lid, with a bentwood open handle, fits the body, which is painted with floral leaves on a pink ground, having a stepped foot and fitted pine base. The whole is in good condition and has attractive coloring and decoration.
High culture cannot be easily formulated by looking at the most glorious objects of an era. The objects produced by local scenes have a whole beauty and stories of their own.
17-6-2023
1: storage box, Warring States, Storage for Silk clothes, or important treasures. 2: Medicine cabinet, 3 carrying bag, pre_Qin, delivering food, kitchen utensils. 4: Box for incense, 5: Chest / marriage treasure with mirror. Han dynasty. 6: boek box, Wei - Jin period, storage for books, rolls. 7: Bamboo basket for thee or wine, Tang dynasty. 8: Storage for tea utensils. 9: Box for travelling, storing breakable stuff, Tang dynasty. 10: Carrying utensil for mobile salesmen. 11; Official case, treasures, official documents, Ming dynasty. 12; Rack, display antiques, Qing dynasty.
17-6-2023 Chaekgeori translates as "books and things", is a genre of still-life painting from the Joseon period of Korea that features books/shelves as the dominant subject. Michel Lee pointed me to an example owned by the Asiatiska Museet. https://collections.smvk.se/carlotta-om/web/object/153414
Screen by Yi Eungrok, 1860-74
18-6-2023 In 2018 I made in exhibition in RuimteCaesuur called "the loyalty of objects". I juxtaposed objects from my collection against paper objects I made of these objects. It raised questions about 'the original', value of objects, and how we perceive objects.
Loyalty of objects: acrylics on paper.
Loyalty of objects: Song dynasty ceramics.
The objects were placed on fragile stands, to point out that objects not only are fragile, but can withstand time if you care for them.
Chaekgeori screen by Yi Eungrok, 1864-1872
The Residency period
19-6-2023 A day of travelling, the thing I really don't like. I took the plane from Schiphol airport, actually my second time flying. Airspace was so crowded we had a delay of 40 minutes. Landing at a very small airport outside Stockholm, I was picked up by Rikard Fahreus and Laetitia Deschamps. It was nice to meet them again, and we had a little snack to eat. We drove half an hour to the city, and took a small tour to see the layout of where things were. The city is absolutely gorgeous and makes me think of Budapest and Prague.
The hostel is in the center, and the room is tiny. But it was a good day.
20-6-2023 This morning Masoud Shahsavari picked me up at the hostel. He is a passionate man and his eyes tell as much stories as his mouth. He shows me the ropes around Slipvillan, and the resident cat. I see my workspace and exhibition room, the whole place is out of this world.
The hostel
In the afternoon I get a visit from Kalle, who I know from the Chinese ceramics collectors page Gotheborg.com. Kalle has great taste in collecting ceramics, and we like the same stuff. Luckily he brought some very nice ones with him, and we have a lively talk about them, and other stuff such as life. With the bike I could use I ride back to my hostel, and I can get used to that. In the studio I did some drawings to help me think. The city along the river is insanely beautiful, and the weather is great. The beginnings are very promising.
Mahsoed, the studio and the exhibition space.
20-6-2023 Freud and his collecting, some pickings out of a thesis. Freud’s Collection of Antiquities: Objects of Desire and Collecting as a Productive and Dynamic Procedure Lavda, Evanthiahttps://studenttheses.universiteitleiden.nl/handle/1887/351
2826I understand collections as systems of dynamic interaction. A collection is more than just a collection of objects; it is a dynamic field where multiple elements, such as memory and materials, come together and form a complex whole. Collections, in general, provide insight into how individuals conceive and articulate their sense of self through the objects they collect. Freud's collection included more than two thousand pieces, most of these pieces originated from Egypt, Greece, Italy, the Middle East, and Asia, with a particular preference in the Mediterranean region Sigmund Freud’s collecting activity started two months after his father’s passing, that is, in 1896Collections have been characterized as creations capable of maintaining certain stability, harmony, and contentment in one’s life. A collection is the output of several conscious and unconscious motives. It is a “dialectical tension between the poles of disorder and order” - a system which the collector wishes to shape his reality from. Our contact with objects occurs through and as a lived experience, inseparably connected with our bodies Objects are not impotent and passive, but dynamic means which create the possibility of modifying the relationship of people with their surroundings.…..this remark supports the argument that the collection is, indeed, Freud’s attempt to redefine his individuality and restore his self-admiration. Here, the sense of identity and the perception of the self are associated with the idea of possessing the objects. Freud used his objects as a companion and compassion. They were accompanying him in and out of his personal space as Freud
used to carry some of them on his excursions. Collecting, in its essence, is a productive practice - a constant creation, an encounter of senses, knowledge, material, and meaning. I reckon that it is self-evident, to some degree, that constructing a collection serves as a construction or a re-construction of the self – and not the uncovering of a lost, “authentic” identity. By any measure, Freud was attached. He was attached to the material, not by means of utilitarian needs, but rather by means of experiencing himself through their reality – namely, he initiated a space of historical, emotional, and cognitive depth, which was actualized through the presence of objects of the past. The exploration of the self or/and the realization of an ideal self-image, as well as achieving self-awareness and self-actualization are all crucial characteristics of the collecting process that appear by obtaining objects – particularly, in the case of Freud, antiquities. Desire for Deleuze & Guattari (1977, 1983, 1987) is a productive force and not an absent element from one’s body, as it is implied by Freud. For Deleuze, it is not longing that forms desire, but rather the opposite – desire produces needs. In the case of Freud’s collection, I observe an infinite attempt to initiate memory through an interconnection of objects. How I understand it, is that the collection, as a concept and as an entity, does not have a permanent and exact meaning. Rather, it is a meeting place –a liminal locus of knowledge and experience. The collection, as the object and the product of desire, is not merely what one observes at first sight – meaning, the accumulation of antiquities from different places and times. It is a milieu for experiences and encounters. Through the process of production, it becomes something distinct; it is metamorphosed into a cognitive whole. It is a concept, a sensation, a reflection, a dream, that continually produces all of the above. Thus, collecting is an ever-ending process since the desideratum is to perpetuate itself – for it being life, the profound opposition to death.
21-6-2023 I started the day with some biking through the Södermalm island, the city part where my hostel is. Riding a bike in a foreign country is something to get used to. Like there are some rules that you are not aware of, that every one else naturally knows. There are quite a lot of bike lanes in the city, but not all naturally connected. Crossing roads is not always easy, and there seems to be some interesting rules there, sometimes you can go with the cars, sometimes it is better to cross at the Zebra crossings. There are quite some bikers, and a lot of electric two wheelers on the road. A lot of them wear helmets, but it is not necessary. The island has a lot of more hip streets with lots of bars, restaurants, and smaller shops. The people overall look fit and well dressed, and lots of them exercise on the streets. The buildings are a great mix of very old wooden houses, sort of art nouveau building blocks, and occasional modern buildings. Streets go up and down, but overall bike-able.
After some shopping for groceries I bike to Slipvillan, and I try to do it without help of maps. I do get lost, but still find my way back. This time I end up very high up, and look down on the Längholmen Island. I see the residency place, and the small Warf that surrounds it. When I arrive the resident cat 'invites' me to serve his meal. I started to use the wooden planks out of the shed to make small paintings. I also made a watercolor of one of them, it reminds me of my work for the Wormholes project.
For the paintings I paste some paper I brought on to the wooden planks. The watercolor and the acrylic paint I made from pigments myself. The acrylics are not easy to use I must say. After a few hours I walk just a few minutes to the little 'dog beach' where I dive into the water. An amazing feeling to swim in the water surrounded by this huge city. The water is not too cold, but the 'beach' is quite dirty. I work a little in the studio, and play some music like Philip Glass and Bill Evans. Rikard arrives at 15:15 from work, and we talk a bit about literature. He lends me his tools so I can build something if I want to. He also updates the Slipvillan website.
I rode my bike back to the hostel, and walked to the artist material shop to buy white paint. Walked around the nice trendy neighborhood full of crowded terraces and hip shops. Ate some falafel, and took a short break at the quite park-like graveyard at the nearby church. Now writing this blog at the lobby of the hostel. And re-writing parts because the wifi failed.
22-6-2023
I started my day by riding my bike to Skeppsholmen Island where the Asian art museum is. I was there early as expected and I made a good walk through the old city on Gamla Stan. The sights are amazing, and the city can easily rival Paris. On my way I came across an Antique shop that was closed, and I decided to return to it after visiting the Asian art museum. The museum is on a small island, which was a military island once. The modern art museum is there as well. The Asian art museum has a fabulous display of neolithic Chinese pottery, which is probably unrivaled outside China.
This of course thanks to Johann Gunnar Andersson, mentioned earlier in this blog. There is also an amazing collection of early Chinese ceramics, serious eye-candy for me.
Neolithic ceramics from the Anderson collection.
I did not forget my mission for my work, and took some pictures of interesting boxes, utensils, and displays. Some of them Chinese, but also Japanese, and modern ones.
One braided from bark, a measuring box for 1 liter, an oblong box, and a round turned wooden box. All very fitting for my thoughts on storing objects, or objects that are kept. I am thinking to incorporate them in my show / work, without touching them. After my adventures I decided to visit the studio and do some work. I tried to paint the oblong box. Then I took another swim. I returned by bike to my hostel, and on my way back I ate some vegetable rolls with rice, not too bad. Posting my pictures from the Asian art museum on my Early Chinese ceramics blog took me quite a while. I think this is enough for one day.
23-6-2023 Today it is midsommar day, a national holiday which celebrates the longest day. This evening we will have a celebration in the garden of Slipvillan. Many of the shops and museums will be closed for the day(s). I wanted to buy a bottle of wine for the occasion, bit there is no wine available in the supermarkets. I aske the hostel people for help, but somehow I don't really get it. With my google maps I walk towards some wine addresses, but they all seem private addresses. I am really confused and frustrated. When I ask about it they laugh, and explain the alcohol selling is government controlled. You can only buy spirits in the government owned shops called System Bolaget, and these shops don't really look like wine shops. Apparently the government took control over the situation of which they thought alcohol consumption was out of control. When I arrive at Slipvillan preparations are made for the evening. I have a salade lunch with Laetitia and Rikard. Then I do some work, painting the box I bought. Maybe I can make a installation with presentation / representation of an object. I go to the little dog beach for a swim, it is very busy there with families celebrating. An older Turkish man is holding his wife in swimming position in the water, and she instantly lost all her age and became child again. When I return the Midsommar pole is being decorated with birch branches. I ask why the pole is actually a cross, and they explain that the church interfered with this 'pagean' ritual and made a mark on it. Guests arrive, and they make garlands, for which I pick flowers for decoration.
The barbeque is lit, and we have dinner with salads, pork, and other goodies. The group is quite small, which allows good conversations. We drink wine, have music, a song, strawberries and schnapps. The combinations are strange, but they are traditional. The spirits are very strong, and we get a little light in the head, which allows us to discuss world problems. It is getting colder, and we wear some blankets. I told them I want to bike home before darkness, and they laugh. You know it is not getting dark these days?
24-6-2023 I started the day with a morning walk. Then I took the bike to Slipvillan, and found my way in one go, that's a first. I took some planks from the shed, and made a little rack from it. I placed the oblong box in it and arranged two paintings in it. I added a traced shape from the lid of the box, then made a painting of a birch branch which I took from the midsummer pole. It struck me that the birch has symbolic meaning, and not only in the Swedish culture. The birch stands for new life and growth. Then it struck me that the birch also has an important role in the films by Tarkovsky, which influenced me a lot. Arseny Tarkovsky, father of, also used the birch in his symbolic poetry
......
I stoked the birch in the fire
As Daniel commanded And blessed my red temper
Until I spoke as a prophet.
The birch being cut to a branche becomes an object that has symbolic meaning, which comes close to my theme: the object as mediator.
The base seems good, now some fine-tuning might be needed. During my studio time I play the well-tempered clavier by Bach. Thomas Schwan plays an amazing live rendition. After the studio day I take a detour with the bike over the big bridge leading to Stadshagen, a wonderful route along the lake. On the way I eat a decent meal of sushi. Tomorrow I will meet Laetitia and Rikard at the museum of modern art in the morning.
25-6-2023 Sitting on the porch of the Slipvillan house, I write this blog, notes of the Wohltemperierte mix with thoughts about this day. How these have been lucky days, privileged time. This morning I was walking on the tiny Kastelholmen Island before going to the modern art museum. The city still quiet except from the screams of delight from the Grona Lund amusement rides. At ten we enter the world of stories from Laurie Anderson in an immersive show.
Starting with AI pictures of an imagined grandfather, the show is full of stories, colored by this first experience of truth-making. After this show I walk through the permanent collection with many (to me) unknown Swedish artists. To my delight there are some Hilna af Klint works too.
After the museum visit I ride my bike to Slipvillan to have lunch with Laetitia, Rikard, a Chinese poet and a Sinologist. A very good company with great conversations. We discuss the show, talk about language, memory, and stories. Rikard and the guest are going canoeing, and they invite me to come. I cannot refuse this offer, and in a two seat canoe we make a trip over the water towards the city hall and back. After this I am putting in some work at the studio, making small birch paintings and constructing a new rack. Some leftovers from the lunch now form my luxury dinner. Reading up some news I discover that while I left the museum a card crashed in the ride from Gamla Stan. One person died, while a row of projected people in the Anderson show continued to play an eery song sharpening their knives. Living on the edge one might say.
26-6-2023 I started the day with a bike-ride eastwards, which turned out a more boring side with offices and flats. At least it filled my time till the artist material shop opened. The material shop has a wide range of articles, but no depth. There is one brand of paint, or a few canvasses for instance. Everything more specialized should be ordered. I needed some wood lattice and wood filler, and sanding paper, surprising to find those there. I went to the residence by bike and neatly finished the first assemblage. I sanded the wood, filled it, and finished the works. I hung the piece, to be photographed. I stacked two chairs and a toolbox to form a tripod to hold my camera. The picture came out fine, and could serve for the p.r.
I worked on the other assemblage of small works, with the measuring box from Sweden. The box matches surprisingly well with the Tomobako box from the Asian Art museum. The temporary show in the museum also showed contemporary Japanese boxes, and they all seem to blend together. I am listening to my favorite jazz pianist Brad Mehldau. I still love his early trio work, when he started the ambitious 'The art of the Trio' recordings. The music is very melodic, and I can follow what the trio is doing, his later works I love as well, but sometimes I lose track of what is happening. Some melodies really give me a physical reaction. That somewhere is anchored in recognition and delight.
In the afternoon I take a swim, and then Leatitia and Rikard show up. I had a long working day today. I ride back and eat a poke-bowl in a small Japanese restaurant. These smaller places are quite affordable. Quite a few of them went out of business during covid, because there was no help from the state. No these places seem to do well.
27-6-2023 This morning I went to the Slipvillan studio. I decided to make on larger cabinet, to give the exhibition a focus point. I got some planks from the shed, and I assembled a cabinet. Most work is in the sanding, putty, and finishing. I want to keep the wood as bare as possible, because the tree / wood/ birch element is coming to light. For the second cabinet I paint a small long painting of a birch stem. Shortly after noon I bike towards the Halwyll museum, which is right in the centre (Östermalm island) I can ride over the large bridge to Stadshagen Island, pass the city hall and arrive at the museum. I start to feel more confident now riding the bike in Stockholm. The museum is a preserved house from around 1900 from teh collector Wilhelmina von Halwyll. They also had the house decorated and built by the highest standards. What is striking is the darkness of it all, but also the feeling of good taste. What brought me here is the Chinese porcelain collection, which is shown in two delightful porcelain rooms. The wall are covered in cabinets, crammed with porcelain from before Christ to the 19th century. The early Chinese wares have some real highlights, and rarities. What is remarkable is that the labels are often wrong. What is good to realize is that what was rare then might be common now, and vice-versa. The first time I came across this museum is when I bought a Jun ware bowl, and I found a similar piece in this collection. (left Halwyll, right mine)
Interesting to see that the Halwyll bowl was much smaller then I thought, and smaller then mine. The two rooms were a delight to see, although very dark with glimmering glass cabinet doors.
A real showstopper was a.o. the large Jun ware censer, which is spectacularly rare, but might for layman just be garish. (maybe it is)
Back at the studio I work further on sanding and finishing the cabinet with a thin layer of white paint which I diluted with water and wood glue. I treat myself to a swim as well. Also having some talks with Laetitia. I noticed the careful approach of the Slipvillan people to enter my workplace, and I say I do not mind visits. And that I am open to talk about the work. I ask how she feels about that topic, and I tell her how important it is for me to have friends in my studio process.
In the morning I went to the studio and made a hanging system on the big cabinet. I drilled the wall and hung the empty cabinet like an empty canvas. I brought two long brushes that I made from pottery, and made a stand for them. A fiddly job of sanding en painting over and over. I finished my second cabinet with paintings, and my dear friends Hans and Willy confirmed it was good work. That is a sign to relax about it.
28-6-2023 I wrote an inspired blog yesterday, and now I notice it is not there. I try to do some re-writing. Yesterday evening I went out late to see the midnight light. And indeed it was not dark at all. The sky looked like a summer sky, but a few tints darker. Over the city was a eiry light, and the birds kept singing like it was evening. The trees collected the night darkness in their leaves and branches. Two young lovers stood as cut outs before a long lasting sunset.
I went for a swim, and the water was very clear today. The sun pierced to the bottom and created endless loops on the sand of pure light. Around me were fishes swimming, it was the first time I saw those. There were signs before, because of the many men passing with fishing rods. The little beach is a dog beach, which creates a whole scene of mingling between dogs, dog people, people and dogs, dogs and people. Today a Pippi Longstocking faced women appeared with her young daughter. The kid went into the water as if she belonged there. A beautiful sight. When I came back Rikard and Laetita returned from a social event at studio 44. It was a sad occasion, and we talked a little about it. They still took the time to design a poster and banners for social media. Then it was late, and on my way back I took a take out of pasta Carbonara, which appeared to be masterful.
29-6-2023 This morning I went to the National Museum. I could not really connect to the Swedish art that was shown there. A lot of works around 1900 were neo-classicist, and to me almost disturbing. The white marble perfect statues of naked perfect people made me think thoughts about nationalist art, although probably not intended. A lot of the Swedish painting were very naturalistic, and could not catch my fancy. For me the classic "greats'' stood out from far. There were good works by Gauguin, Monet, Rodin, Cezanne and other modern masters.
There were many Dutch masters on display, for example some rare good works by Judith Leysters. The biggest surprise was to run into The Conspiracy of the Batavians under Claudius Civilis by Rembrandt. The huge painting is the most important late Rembrandt, and is a raw masterpiece. So raw you almost can understand the resistance it evoked at the time. There were many Rembrandts on display, and although I am not a devoted follower, there were some eyecatchers there.
I arrived at the studio around noon, and I reworked the paintings of the toolbox from my brother and the brush cabinet of the emperor. I added a painting of a headrest that I saw in the Ostasiatiska Museet. All three are red and signify work, art, and rest. Maybe something for the big cabinet. I also painted a new small work with birch stems. They reminded me again of Tarkovsky, who filmed his last masterpiece Offret in Sweden. The film starts and ends with a (dead) tree planted in the soil, that is left to the son to water until it will start to grow. I have to put that tree in too.
30-6-2023 Today was sort of a slow day, somewhat uneventful. First I went to the art shop to buy some materials. Oh yes, bought some shorts, should have done that before my trip. At the studio the cat already was waiting for me with its endless hunger. After feeding the cat I looked at the large cabinet. Still not happy with the painting of the brush cabinet of the emperor. Made a new attempt. The box is so detailed that it is hard to make it look simple. I also redid the Japanese headrest in a smaller size. I painted the Tarkovsky tree from Offret. And added another small tree painting to the ensemble.
The day was more clouded today, ad I went for a swim before it would rain. The beach was very quiet now, and the water changed color to a more green and closed surface. The island Langholmen was a prisoner island, and the prisoners covered it with dredged mud in the 19th century. Then the vegetation started to grow, to what now is a lovely forest like landscape. Slipvillan has a lovely garden which is fenced. On a day such as today you are really on your own. In the afternoon it started to rain till about 1900 hrs, when I decided to go back. Enough time to make a walk through the neighborhood. Tomorrow I might check out the photomuseum.
1-7-2023 This morning I visited the photo museum Fotografiska I was warned it might be too slick and touristic, and it was. The exhibits looked good, but the overall mood was that of what Byung Chul Han would call smooth. There was a lack of resistance or pain in the works, even if it was supposed to be there. And for me that is what good art always has, resistance, asking questions, challenging you. How do I miss this aspect so often these days, especially in big shows, art fairs, and event like exhibitions. Anyway, I went to the studio and painted two bowls. I mentioned before the Jun bowl in the Halwyll museum resembles a bowl in my collection. I painted both. Maybe the large cabinet will become a true cabinet of curiosities, because the scope is now quite wide. But a curiosity cabinet closely resembles my dea for this residency; the object as mediator. In the time of curiosity cabinets, wasn't the world understood through the objects displayed?
Work in progress. A thought occurred to me that we also (especially as collector / art lover) understand objects through objects. By comparing and going back and forth between somewhat similar objects we develop a better understanding of them. In the case of the Junyao bowl I was looking for reliable matches to date the bowl correctly. It is though a departure from the Platonian idea that there is 'the' Jun bowl, a template for or Jun bowls. No the fun is that every Jun bowl is unique. We really have to sharpen our mind and eyes to understand a singular piece, by looking at many other related pieces. Somehow similar to looking at art, you can only judge if a piece is original / urgent / of quality / when you compare it to other related art. For a deeper understanding and appreciation we have to put in the work.
2-7-2023 Rainy day today, went to the studio before the rain started. Fiddling around with objects in the large cabinet. Slow progress, but the rain makes the concentration better. Round noon I thought the weather looked up, and I went to see the Hornstull market. But the rain caught me, and I returned to the studio totally soaked. Back to the installation. Yesterday I made a Suiseki, a viewing stone, from a stone from the island. I crafted a stand for it. Seemed to me one of those objects that is a mediator. A Suiseki reminds the viewer of a landscape or a mountain in miniature. I painted the model of the house that appeared in the Tarkovsky movie Offret. The rol of the model is kind of mysterious, but it contains some nostalgia and longing. The big offering in the movie might be the actual house, which the main character sets on fire. This model seems also some sort of an object that refers to something outside itself.
3-7-2023 Today is a day of mostly rain again. This morning I had the luck to get to the studio dry on my bike. I took the slightly longer route that takes me along the waterline. It is the most quiet route, and I should do that more. I was awaited by the cat, and I was her tool to bring breakfast. I started by painting the Slipvillan house in black, just as the house I did yesterday, the likeness in building is big. I also painted the bench from the garden with the trestles I like. You probably know I have a slight obsession with them. The large cabinet is now filled, and I am satisfied for the moment. I have a lot of finishing to do on the works I made, sanding the panels, and finishing the sides. It takes me half of the day. Laetitia arrives, and we have a coffee, till Masoud arrives with the prints of my posters. They look really nice, and we chat a little about the project of Masoud, which includes my friend Hans Overvliet. I go back to my finishing of the works, and I realize that the big cabinet lacks the finesse and quiet of the other works. It will take some major adjustments to get this right. For now I take out the two painted bowls, and I am convinced that the red color of the toolbox and the brush cabinet are not my color palette. In my despair I paint over both of them. Maybe the dominant theme of the cabinet should be the black and white sketch like paintings. We will see. Rikard returns from his work, and Laetitia cooks a simple meal of what is left in the kitchen. At 20:30 I am totally done. It is not often that I am in a studio for 11 hrs. The rain has stopped again for a moment, and leaves the colors deeply saturated. The temperature really dropped since the warm days, about ten degrees I guess. The very steep hill on Langholmen to the studio has deep trenches in it from the rain. It makes the very tough climb even more difficult. Good that I tightened the breaks yesterday. A thought went out to T. a good friend who has brain surgery today.
4-7-2023
This morning I had an appointment with Michel Lee, curator of the Asian art museum Stockholm. I had a warm welcome at ten, and we introduced ourself over a quick coffee. We walked through the permanent exhibit, and talked about the displays, a couple of individual pieces, Swedish museum aesthetics, and a bit on political aspects. Then the absolute treat was to go to the storage rooms. There were rows and rows of neolithic ceramics from the Anderson collection. Besides that many Tang ceramic sculptures, Song wares, and later wares. It was a lot to take in. Many amazing pots from the Yangshao culture, but the Song wares were of a very high standard. Many pieces could easy be on display in many museums. The glazed wares could be picked up by Michel, and he showed me some.
Before I knew it it was almost twelve, and Michel suggested to look at the storage boxes, mentioned in earlier blogpost. The storage room was packed with many boxes, separated from their pieces. Most of them could never be reunited, some of them were very specific, or had inscriptions.
Back at the office I was a bit overwhelmed by the whole thing. I started painting Michels hand holding a box. The holding of the pieces struck me. The hands carefully holding and presenting a piece. The rows of boxes on the shelves reminded me of the Chaekgeori painting mentioned earlier. So I made my own version. The large cabinet is still resisting, but I will keep pushing.
5-7-2023 This morning I had an new idea to finish the cabinet, it just came to me being in my hostel room. remembered the material shop having mall plates of transparent perspex. I thought that i could paint trees on them, and create a binding element in the large cabinet. So I bought some, and biked along the water to the studio. The weather was nice again today, and that made me feel good. I worked hard all day to finish the cabinet, and I tried a lot of combinations. The transparent plates worked well, and that helped me through it. I made harsh decisions and took out much colored works. I made a little self portrait from the back of my head. It always reminds me of the openings scene of The Mirror by Tarkovsky. With a lot of tinkering I decided the cabinet was finished late afternoon. At lunch I had a visit from a squirrel and we shared some bread. The weather was warm enough for a swim as well. I also painted the wall white, because it was dirty. At the end of the day the exhibition room was sort of finished. The second room what is my studio can be used as well. Maybe I can install the works that did not make the cut.
The day had passed quickly again, and every evening I am exhausted. Today was another day from 10 to 1900 hrs at work. Luckily I found a very nice Japanese restaurant which serves sushi and bowls for very decent prices. The quality is good, and it is a short walk. I heard that the euro is quite strong against the krone, so that is why the meals seem not expensive.
6-7-2023 I started the day with a walk through the old city. ( oh yes, I managed to buy wine in a System Bolaget for the dinner tonight) The scenery here was very touched by mass tourism, more then other places as I saw it. After the walk I went to the studio and started cleaning my messy workplace. I hoped it would bring some clarity in the last set-ups. I painted the wall white, to restore it from previous uses. I arranged some works that did not make it in the cabinets. The two Jun bowls make a nice pair. The other small works I all gave a grey background, and installed them on a lattice as one work.
I called this work Travelling and then returning, because it shows findings from my stay here combined with the toolbox from my brother. On the left a Japanese headrest, then a shard box from Palmgren, the toolbox, and the hands of Michel Lee showing a round box. There is a generosity in this showing. This generosity is also in the promise that Michel Lee will be there at the opening Saturday. I take time to have a swim, because it might be the last time. The water feels harsh and a bit cold today, not sure why. A guy with a small dog and a ukelele sit on the rock, and he plays some tunes. I imagine he is a bit shy, and he is testing his nerves. My swim yesterday was also interesting. Two young boys were playing in the water with a ball. Two women in their fifties came by with a dog, and the young boy played with the dog, throwing the ball into the water, and the dog would retrieve it. At one time he threw the ball out, and the dog could not find it. The boy tried to get the ball, but it was too deep for him. The women did not hesitate, although she did not know this boy, she walked into the water fully dressed. When she reached the ball she was fully submerged. She gracefully returned with the ball, and she and her friend acted as if this was nothing special. Some Viking blood was left in there I imagine.
In the evening we were invited for dinner in an appartement across the water. We ate on a high terrace overviewing the city. Right before us there was Slipvillan, and I was surprised how small the house looks. The city is domed by a grand sky, which can switch its look within minutes. One moment there is a shower, the other moment the sun breaks through. It is a breathtaking scenery, and the light is so different as it is at home. The dinner and the conversations are very stimulating. We eat Quiche, salad, nice desert, and poor wine, have a shot, and a rum cola. That will loose the tongue a little. Part of the conversation is about object, but also abut A.I. and how it will affect the arts, and politics.
Late in the evening I walk back to the studio to get the bike, and ride the hostel in a quiet city. The bike has no lights, but in my experience there is very little police presence here. Besides that, it is not pitch dark, and I avoid busy roads.
When it rains, their are immediately deep trenches, because the water takes all grit and soil down. In the studio I make two little works to give away later. Then I clean up the space, and finish the details. I take pictures with my camera. Laetitia and Rikard help to clean the house and prepare for tomorrow. I wrote a text for visitors. It took me a lot of fiddling, and it shows, it is not the best text I have written. but it will be okay for now.
7-7-2023 I started my morning with a good walk through the neighborhood. I answer some messages and emails from friends and family that read my blog. That is very uplifting and enjoyable. I pack my bag with the needs for the day and bike to the residency. On arrival I want to check my phone for the code of the alarm. I noticed I forgot it at the hostel. I took the occasion to make a nice training ride up and down, which took about 35 minutes. The last hill on Langholmen is very steep, I can just manage to climb it in the lowest gear.
I have the editing of the pictures still to do. But now everything is ready for tomorrow; the opening.
The opening
8-7-2023 This morning I made a walk through the gallery district. All galleries are closed for summer season, although in my view some of them would do great in summer season. Especially many of them focus on ceramics, of which I heard are many produced in Sweden. There is also an amazing tea shop, witch a selection of high grade tea and tea utensils. I buy a ceremonial grade matcha tea for my Song tea bowls. The walk is also a start of saying good bye to the city, where I slowly started to feel more and more comfortable. I ride my bike for the last time to Slipvillan and we slowly prepare for the opening. The best way to do it is to eat a slice of pizza and have some white wine I found out. Round two the first people walk in, the atmosphere is relaxed and intimate. Round three o clock Michel Lee the Asian art curator of the Ostasiatiska museet arrives. First I give him a tour through the show, he is very attentive and surprised. We gather now the present visitors and Rikard introduces us. I start with a short introduction of my show, then Michel has a short say as well. Then a conversation about the show and the process takes place. It is a very animated talk, and very appreciated. Before Michel has to go again I give him a small work I made for him, and he is very pleased. The second version of this work was for Laetitia and Rikard, for all their care. It is wonderful weather, and we can sit on the porch all day, and welcome the visitors, and have good talks about the work, life, and drink some. I can see Slipvillan has an unique position as an ArtPlace, people feel no hesitation to drop in, even if it is just for being in the garden. It results in a very diverse public from all ages and backgrounds.
The exhibition is very intimate, and fits the rooms perfectly. The interplay with the old place, the present elements, and the light came out very well. A visiting curator immediately picked up on the placement and figuration of the show, and she was surprised I did it by myself. Looking at the works I would say they are on the figurative side of my work, quit romantic. It probably reflects the mood I was in, and the relatively short period they were made. Overall I think it is a good exhibition, and reflects my residency very well.
After the show we have a very nice dinner in a restaurant very close to the residency. The food is great, and we can sit outside on the terrace. The I decide to walk to the hostel, to clear my head. Tomorrow I leave early in the morning for home.
The exhibition
This residency was possible thanks to:
Team Slipvillan:
Rikard Fahreus
Laetitia Deschamps
Masoed Shahsavari
Curator Asian Art Museum Stockholm:
Michel Lee
Ruimte Caesuur Middelburg
Hans Overvliet
Willy van Houtum
The supporters who bought a brush from my multiple
Donations by My parents
Peter Steutel
Support from friends
Support from collectors of Asian art