About the artist

I work with performance, textiles and sculpture. A main pillar of my artistic practice is the project "A Room Without a Door", a series of outdoor performance works where I use silk dyed with plant dyes as a central prop. By using the body and silk as a kind of "mouthpiece", I want to highlight how nature can give us peace, concentration and presence. The silk drapes easily, absorbs color, dries quickly and is easily set in motion. Through observing how the silk reacts to nature, I have become more aware of nuances I previously did not see. Different places have different characteristics; An old-growth forest can be perceived as dark and subdued, a logging field dystopian and naked. I hope this experience can teach us that we are not outside nature, but are part of its diversity - a diversity that must be protected, rather than built down.

Through many years as a karate practitioner, I have learned that I cannot just be strong. I have to dare to show vulnerability in order to find strength. In my work, I seek a balance between these two. I use the silk actively in my performances, for example by hitting it against tree trunks or dragging it through strong ocean currents. This puts my body and attention in full focus. I use the term "germ" to describe the power that arises when movement, breathing, and attention come together into one. The body becomes a gateway to the mind, and concentration a quiet space in the middle of the movement. This need for focus has meant that I always carry a piece of silk with me ready for spontaneous performance.

I make sculptures from the silk from the performances, which give a tangible expression of what the material has been through. The silk is treated with a solidifying medium and shaped around copper wire, and when it solidifies, the sculptures become light, cocoon-like shapes – both strong and vulnerable. In the exhibitions, I am interested in how the dynamics of space affect the viewer, and will mount the sculptures so that they are activated in the room and bring the presence of nature into the exhibition.