The Swedish Avant Garde: fashion, Freud and the forbidden identity

This exhibition explores a new development in Swedish design identity - a fashion avant garde. The radical garments simultaneously clothe the body and explode perceived norms in Swedish culture and psyche. Drawing on the work of Sigmund Freud the exhibition proposes that the avant garde render explicit and externalise what Swedish people might repress from their unconscious. Some of the presented themes are Uniformly collective vs. conspicuous narcissist, Realism vs. mysticism, Save and restraint vs. spend and excess, Introvert vs. extrovert, Designed home vs. designed self.

By presenting the clothes in the visual context of naïve Swedish folk art Kurbits paintings from the 18th and 19th centuries and the experimental 1920s Les Ballets Suédois, it juxtaposes allegory and avant garde.

The exhibition contains works by Ann-Sofie Back, Patrik Söderstam, Sandra Backlund, SWD/Skyward, Martin Bergström, Kling by Kling, Johan Åkesson, Åsa Westlund, Nakkna, Cecilia Hummel and Nhu Duong.

This exhibition is sponsored by +46 and ICC Foundation and will tour internationally.

Sofia has specified in the area of conceptual fashion and art and in her research she has explored the not uncomplicated term avant-garde fashion. She has further investigated what can be deemed characteristics and codes for avant-garde fashion curation and their implications for contemporary exhibitions.

Sofia has assisted in the preparation and installation of 'Maison Martin Margiela '20' The exhibition' at Mode Museum (MoMu) in Antwerp which was the maison's 20th anniversary exhibition.