Not without cause
At Färgfabriken Norr, Excercishallen, Östersund.
Carl Johan De Geer and Marianne Lindberg De Geer opens their studios
In the exhibition Not without cuase, the artist couple Carl Johan De Geer & Marianne Lindberg De Geer carefully dismantled their studios in an old school in Stockholm-suburb Årsta and rebuilt them in Färgfabriken Norr’s premises in Östersund. We got a unique and personal insight into the artists’ processes and everyday life and were able to walk around among the details of two long-standing and versatile artists. Thus was the the first time works by both artists were displayed side by side in the same exhibition.
“Our idea to show our work spaces in Östersund felt obvious. A lot of our art was out at exhibitions around the country and we didn’t want to show the old stuff. Most of the people we meet in our profession want to come to the studio. Can we meet in your studio? they say hopefully. Carl Johan usually says yes, but I myself do the opposite. My studio is sacred. There are (mostly) processes going on that I want to be at peace with. That’s why I thought I’d show my studio once and for all, so it’s done. Of course, I also saw it as a great opportunity to sort things out. A thorough review and cleaning up, simply. ” Marianne
“There is a big difference between what you can do in a home and in a studio. In a home, one cannot happily splash large amounts of paint on walls and floors. You should not saw and carve so that the shavings are spread everywhere. You are not expected to play loud music in the middle of the night. You can’t neglelct cleaning or putting stuff away for decades. You are expected to be who you are. If the doorbell rings and you intend to open it, you should not dress up in fancy dress clodes first. It is inappropriate, or in at least unusual, to use scenographic methods to transform the home into a psychiatric reception, a dentist’s office or a police station. Unless you are a psychiatrist, dentist or police officer, of course. But we are artists” Carl-Johan
A catalog was also produced for the exhibition, including texts by both Carl Johan and Marianne. The catalogue can be downloaded here (Swedish only).
Related
Between April 2008 and January 2011, Färgfabriken ran the Färgfabriken Norr branch in Östersund. The project was conducted in collaboration with Jämtland County Council and was partially EU-financed. Around twenty exhibitions, concerts, workshops and conferences were organised during the project period.
