individual project research and realization, curatorial practice research in collaboration with Marcus Appelberg (www.mappelberg.com)
Gothenburg, SE
April 2025
Second week
The outline of the mural in the studio is now set, forming part of the broader garden concept and overall Gesamtkunstwerk. The first lumps of salt dough are prepared and ready to be worked with.
A digital contact provided by Marcus led to a meeting on Thursday with artist and teacher Malin Bogholt (www.malinbogholt.com), who teaches at Dômen Konstskola (www.domenkonstskola.se). The school overlooks the beautiful Slottskogen park and exudes an open, welcoming atmosphere. Friendly staff and students received me warmly. Malin generously facilitated meaningful conversations and connections across various departments. I had the opportunity to talk to students about the garden project — a very inspiring hour. Thank you, Malin.
Maral Mavizi, who has Persian roots, visited her former studio, where the carpet piece is currently taking shape. Our conversation led us to reflect on the garden as a phenomenon representing diverse human desires and traditions. We agreed to continue this dialogue in the near future.
The Stadsbiblioteket (City Library) ,designed by Tommy Granström and Erik Östberg in 1960, offers a broad range of specialist literature. The friendly staff welcomed me as a new library member and patiently explained some useful technical tricks and customs for navigating their system — very helpful.
Artist Maja Sikorska (www.majasikorska.com), currently working on a relief piece for Marcus at the Fabriksgatan studio, dropped by for a chat about visibility in the arts and the relationship between artistic practice and survival. It was a great opportunity to get to know Maja and her work. We’ve set a date for a small collaboration sometime in the coming days.
Viewed works by Jonas Liveröd and Emilie Florin, accompanied by a lovely conversation with Pontus Lidgard at Göteborgs Konstförening (www.goteborgskonstforening.org).
Student Hanna Biersing, who presented her intimate multimedia installation last weekend at the container gallery of Dômen, shared some reflections and thoughts on her future plans with me.
The woman working at Capitol Cinema (www.capitolgbg.se) had pointed out the demonstration in support of preserving the Valhallabadet — a stunning piece of 1950s architecture just around the corner from the studio, and an important recreational space for all citizens (www.byggnadsvard.se/radda-valhallabadet). It felt only natural to join the crowd and walk along, listening to their chants and trying to understand.
Later, a visit to Konstnärscentrum Väst (www.konstnarscentrum.org/vast) was followed by one of the most physical theatre performances I’ve experienced — a powerful piece by the KonstAB group at the Folksteatern (www.folkteatern.se). That evening, I finally met Marcus Appelberg, who, thankfully, is recovering from a severe bout of flu.
A Sunday hike through relatively untouched nature offered a glimpse of the wilderness surrounding Gothenburg.
First Week
After spending three days prior to the start of the mobility familiarizing myself with the location, distances, the urban and surrounding environments, the atmosphere of Gothenburg, and so much more, I moved into the Airbnb of Malin Johansson (www.realstars.eu) April ,2. The apartment is located about a 30-minute tram ride east of the city centre. The key to the studio was handed over by Marcus’s colleague, Maral Mavizi (www.maralmavizi.com), since Marcus had the flu.
a nice small room, not far from the city centre and close to the Valhallabadet — a nice bonus, and a great name for a place to unwind and relax but endangered by demolition (https://thegermanyeye.com/gothenburg-historic-bathhouse-demolition-debate-16460).
The call for the collaborative work I am planning to realise has already been sent out to several institutions and individuals (through Marcus’s network), including schools and organisations like Konstepidemin, Dômen, and Konstnärscentrum.
In parallel, I’ve been conducting street research around the concept of ‘heimat:en’ which is proving to be a very interesting experience. The process has been shaped partly by language barriers — especially pronunciation — and partly by the unfamiliarity or ‘strangeness’ of the question itself. People often ask me how to spell the word and whether it’s meant in a personal sense.
Starting tomorrow, I have scheduled studio sessions with volunteers who are interested in collaborative work on a special kind of ‘garden’.
hand out – project ‘gardan’ gothenburg, tanja isbarn 2
