Exhibition at Salute Cinema features the artwork

Body to Body (2020)

Textile, mixed media. Courtesy of the artist

Body to Body seems noticeably charged in these times of social distancing, when physical contact with others inevitably entails certain risks. However the new series might refer to the ability of our bodies to work side by side in the act of collaboration, rather than their physical proximity. Meaning, for instance: exploring together, learning together, performing crafts and making art together — precisely what artist duo Åsa Norberg and Jennie Sundén have been doing since 2005. For several years, they have been digging into the history of teaching, pedagogy and its thinkers and their visions. They believe that pedagogy can play an important role in shaping a democratic society and that it can offer a more holistic view of the people and the environment surrounding us.

The сonnection between Body to Body and pedagogy does not seem obvious at first glance, which is presumably also the point — rather than providing the visitors a clear and fixed answer, the artworks provide us with clues. The duo introduces the visitors to important names in pedagogy such as Maria Montessori, John Comenius, Friedrich Fröbel, and John Dewey. The latter is said to have coined the term “learning by doing”, a way of thinking that seems to permeate the entire artistry of Åsa Norberg and Jennie Sundén.

Åsa Norberg and Jennie Sundén have been collaborating since 2005. They live and work in Göteborg, Sweden. Their installations and projects are often site-specific and/or context-based. With an interest in how aesthetics and design reflect the social reality in which it is produced, their work reconstructs and highlights different social phenomena, political ideas, and other artists' practices. The duo combines materials, aesthetic form and theoretical references to create new perspectives on existing discourses or narratives.