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L'Origine du Monde

January 16- February 7, 2010

Opening Saturday January 12, from 1pm to 5pm 

 

Images of Women in Focus

 

Following artists participate in the exhibition:

Camilla Akraka, Helene Billgren, Helena Blomqvist, Vanna Bowles, Lena Cronqvist, Micaela Dahlberg, Louise Dorph, Marie-Louise Ekman, Lotta Hannerz, Linnéa Jörpeland, Tuija Lindström och Elvire Soyez

Every artwork in this exhibition includes the image of a female. In the painting Las Menias by Marie-Louise Ekman, we are presented to the young woman standing by herself in a big room, with the world laying before her feet in all its possibilities. The painting is from 1982 and is a typical piece of work by Ekman from that period. This is a unique opportunity to see this incredible painting, which by scale is one of the largest Ekman has ever made.

 

The exhibition presents in total twelve artists, all are women. A majority are represented by the gallery, but we are also very happy that Lena Cronqvist and Elvire Soyes have agreed to participate in the show.

 

Growing Thoughts is a drawing by Vanna Bowles showing a group of women placed outdoors surrounded by trees at playground on teeter boards. They’re looking at us as their thoughts grow like branches from their heads. Both Tuija Lindström and Helena Blomqvist are presenting new photographic work. Michaela Dahlberg presents a self-portrait. Helene Billgren shows new paintings.

 

The title of this exhibition holds the same name as the painting L’Origine du Monde by Gustav Courbet made in 1866. The Origin of the World. In the well-known painting a woman is lying down so that we see her from underneath, making her womb the centre of the painting. Courbet painted the genitals, the legs as well as the cloth on which the woman is placed in a realistic style. However the model’s face has been excluded from the description of the origin of the world. In Lotta Hannerz’s painting Notes from 2008 Courbet’s painting is incorporated in form of a painted post card. A leaf is hanging on the canvas to seal the centre, so that instead of a woman’s womb we see a pass photograph sized self-portrait of Hannerz. This we can interpret to remind us that a body belongs to a face, and that each individual is more than his or her genitals.

 

In our imitate surroundings many women live at the outskirts. Klaragården in Stockholm is a unique place open to women at the margins of our society. It’s open for women trapped in homelessness and addiction. The door is always open for the psychological weak and the lonely. Klaragården’s work is truly amazing also in seeing woman society in general would not see. We would like to acknowledge their work and will donate parts of the profit from this exhibition to the activity.

 

Installation View>>>

 

 

 

 

Marie-Louise Ekman, Las Meninias, oil on canvas, 240x210 cm, 1982