Original artwork description:

168x192 cm (each panel 64x84cm) | Filler, oak panels, wool string, dried roses

The Lemniscate is the mathematical symbol for infinity. The human mind can’t fully grasp this concept, and it seems to reside within the register of the Imaginary. In the symbolic order—where we operate—it always functions approximately in a manner similar to the concept of utopia.

When I was growing up, the symbol was used as a logo for the grocery chain Konsum (now Coop). It was one of many collectively owned corporations. Even if a few still exist today, they were created as part of the workers’ movement that dominated politics in Scandinavia at that time. Today, their ideological foundation is less evident as they entirely operate within the logic of the market.

The dried roses in the work remind us of social democracy’s lost promise. Equal economic distribution is no longer part of its political program as it was during my childhood—or perhaps it never really was. Like social liberalism, it barely attempts to mitigate the damages of capitalism while ensuring its survival against the threat of the workers united.

Still, I miss how I felt growing up. Safe to pursue any dream—even an artistic one—without worrying too much about the economic consequences. Today, becoming an artist is a choice primarily for the wealthy.

Materials used:

Filler, oak panels, dowel pins, wool yarn, dried roses

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