MADE IN SWEDEN 2010-2016
Maria Juchnowska and Vivian Chan were two artists behind the art collective: Made in Sweden.Their collaboration began in 2010 and finished in the end of 2016. During the 6 years of their collaboration they explored social-political questions about personal, national, and artistic identity while utilizing a hybrid of artistic methods and materials. Being multi-racial and multicultural, they were inspired by the fact that while culture and society differs from country to country, discrimination and prejudice remains the same in the real and art world.
“Made in Sweden” in 6 years of their collaboration performed in Scandinavia, Western and Eastern Europe, and Northern Africa.
I AM FROM POLAND 2015
Performance with 500kg clay, 2015
Jestem z Polski is a 48 hour project that used 500kg of clay, and was designed for the annual festival of ceramics in Bolesławiec. We wanted to highlight craft and the handmade object, and show how the process of making can be viewed as contemporary art.
DEAD WHITE MEN
2014
Performance with 80kg Polish apples, 2014
Dead White Men is a project that uses 80kg of Polish apples and our largely Polish audience. We decided to create a site-, time-, and culture- specific performance in Gorzów Wielkopolski, Poland to comment upon the current political, social, and artistic situation in Poland.
ONE NIGHT STAND 2012
One Night Stand is a physical, intellectual, and emotional experiment which invites intimacy and confronts honesty in a public space. What happens when we put our thoughts down onto paper?
How would you answer these questions? How would you ask these questions?
1. Why are you here?
2. What do you want?
3. How do you like it?
4. What would you like done to you?
5. What would you like to do to me?
TRASH COLLECTORS 2011
Is a site specific performance about the sometimes invisible value of ceramic and glass objects that many of us take for granted. It is about recycling and re-inventing art-craft objects, so that they can transform from being art into trash, back into art, and then trash again. As the saying goes, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure”, and Made in Sweden would like to highlight the treasures which can often be found in Konstfack’s university trash bins. Performance with trash (found ceramics) and clay, 2011.
LÖK
2010-2011
By using porcelain slip, onions, sound and our audience, we combine different media in order to show how individuals, with completely different backgrounds, cultures and histories can face the same problems when trying to assimilate into mainstream society. The desire to fit in drives our artistic actions as we question the stereotypes behind race, gender, nationality, art and craft. Performance with porcelain slip and onions.