Avståndstagare
2018
We can observe how today’s hyper-moralized public discourse becomes a breeding ground for the culture of public denunciations, that create a situation when the phrase: “Jag vill ta avstånd från…” – “I want to distance myself from…” said by various public figures is a commonly used phrase in Swedish media. United by the moral attempt to distance ourselves from the wrongdoings of others, our main task is to preserve and maintain the boundary where Us transforms into Them. In the work Avståndstagare (Distance taker) the moral collective attempt to distance ourselves from the wrongdoings of “others” took the form of a tilted bench on wheels – an un-mountable high horse - an absurd commonplace, where the sitting position as a moral superiority is too hard to maintain. The object is forced in perpetual distancing mode when mounting is attempted.
Installation images Maria Safronova Wahlström
120x140x35 cm, pinewood, nickel wheels;