Description

JOHAN SCHALIN (MA)

SWEDEN, STOCKHOLM

KONSTFACK – UNIVERSITY OF ARTS, CRAFTS AND DESIGN

Copper, silver, wax or bronze. I love working with materials that in themselves have a sense of adequacy. My idea is to do something simple, but simple can be deceptive. In this work I am trying to figure out how transactions, value and work by hand connect in our society, a society that seems to be losing the skill of handcraft. I work with symbols and images ranging from the culture of the heavy metal scene, the influence of jewellery from ancient history in a pop cultural context, to insignia from medieval European royal courts and contemporary consumer trinkets.

I’ve chosen the image of The Hoard, which can be seen as treasure or just a collection of things – trash or keepsakes with no intrinsic value.