Maja Lindberg Schwaner

Statement

I work from an idea of art as a mirror that briefly fixates parts of contemporary society and reflect them back to it – parts which contain tensions and contradictions, unfulfilled longings.

The heightened attention which is a part of looking at and being with art, makes that possible – to look at these elements separately from the contexts in which they usually appear. Unusual compositions of elements create new connections. It is an uneven mirror, in which there is a selection of elements, a selection which at the same time belongs to a certain place and time but is also personal and woven together with the particular experiences of being a body in this world. Something more happens to the mirrored elements as well. A transformation rather than representation.

GlogauAIR Project

At GlogauAIR I plan to work on a 3D animated mini-series. It’s called ”NFTasia” and it’s about two friends – a YouTube-obsessed teenager and his dog, a former NFT – who goes to an immaterial amusement-park. The point of entry for the project has been a speculative and critical approach to the promises of cryptocurrency and NFT’s. The park, a promised land of fun and wealth, may turn out to be less sparkly than the characters first anticipate. The project is in its early stages, and so the first thing I will do at the residency is some 3D modeling. If there’s time, I would also like to do some experiments with sculptural components in the physical space.

Writing, Installation, New media, and Sculpture

CV Summary

Education

• HDK-Valand Academy of Art and Design, University of Gothenburg
• MFA in Fine Arts, 2020-2022
• University of Copenhagen
• MA in modern culture, 2016-2019
• Biskops Arnö Författarskola
• Project-course in literary writing, 2016-2017
• University of Southern Denmark
• BA in literature, 2011-2014

Selected literary publications

• Tærskel, forlaget Aleatorik, 2021 (short-story collection)
• Landskab 16. Monsieur Antipyrine #4-5, 2019

Selected exhibitions

• Find me at the surface. Brønshøj Vandtårn, Copenhagen 2023. Duo-exhibition/project with Olivia Riviere.
• Anna-Lisa Thomson Till Minne. Uppsala Konstmuseum, Uppsala 2022-2023. Group show.
• Stipend exhibition. Stensalen, KKV Bohus, Hamburgsund 2022. Group show.
• Material Glitch. Göteborg Konsthall, Gothenburg 2022. MFA graduation-show.
• Significant</3. Gallery Rotor2, Gothenburg 2021. Solo-exhibition.
• Small Sculptures. Sharp Projects, Copenhagen 2021. Group exhibition curated by Ilethia Sharp.
• Turning/Through/Teetering Grids. Gallery Monitor and Rotor2, Gothenburg 2021. Group exhibition.
• Skogens Konung. Kålltorp, Gothenburg 2021. Off-site group exhibition.
• Txt.jpeg. Göteborgs Litteraturhus, Gothenburg 2021. Artist book exhibition.
• The Swamp of Lerna. Warehouse9, Copenhagen 2019. Group Exhibition.
• A Sentient Body. Spektakel, Vienna 2019. Group show

Gallery