The Average
by Iris Smeds
Artist
Iris Smeds
(Sverige, född 1984)
Date2019
Medium4-channel video installation, color, stereo sound
DimensionsFilm 1: 3:13 min
Film 2: 3:45 min
Film 3: 3:45 min
Film 4: 5:06 min
Enkanaligt verk: 13:49 min
ClassificationMoving Images
Credit LinePurchase 2021 (Swedish Acquisitions 2021)
Countries
Object NumberMOM/2021/254
CollectionsSvenska förvärv 2021
The artwork is not on display
About the artworkThe film The Average is a comment on the individualism that has emerged alongside the decline of the social democratic welfare state. The introductory monologue on time and space, body and normality, is accompanied by the sound of crackling flames. The fire is warming but also destructive. Better to burn up, however, than to slowly fade in a liberal-market society that demands that individuals are forever competitive. 0-9 Bye (a bug’s life) is a sculpted cloak in pink satin marked with the numbers 0 to 9. It can be read as an allegory of life’s movement towards death, or simply as numerals. The mantle reminds us of the butterfly that has reached life’s climax after the pupa phase. In her practice, Iris Smeds works with performance, film and objects. The value of art and the marketability of identities are recurring subjects, and her works are often blended with absurd humour.
Selected exhibition history Surrealism, samlingen (den 19 oktober 2024 - den 18 januari 2026) Moderna Museet, Stockholm
Selected exhibition history Surrealism, samlingen (den 19 oktober 2024 - den 18 januari 2026) Moderna Museet, Stockholm