Sweden Journal: Wanas Konst

"Upside Down Studio" by Charlotte Glyllenhamer

Faro was the Island off the Swedish coast where Bergman conjured his magic. But who would have expected to find a Maecenus of the arts in the middle of the farm country of Southern Sweden? If you are lucky enough to visit the Wanas Hotel in Skane, on the grounds of a medieval castle. you will wake up to several serendipitous finds. Besides a sculpture garden (really a vast sculpture reservation containing amongst other things, Yoko Ono's "Wish Tree") there's Charlotte Glyllenhammar’s “Upside Down Studio.” The theme of the artist’s studio has been explored by Velasquez and Matisse, but this installation features an artist's work table hanging from the ceiling. Even more dramatic is Ann Hamilton’s creation on five floors of a barn built in 1823. The artist equates the structure with the body and each of these majestic creations, which one would more expect to come upon in Chelsea or at the Whitney, lives its own world. In fact, this seems to be the point—to discover modernism in an elegant, yet unassuming location in the middle of what might called "nowhere," rather than in sone bustling metropolis. Advanced art is always contextualized, particularly with respect to urbanity and sophistication. The Wanas Foundation is responsible for bringing these and other artists like Robert Wilson to such an improbable and unexpected locale. Or to put it more crassly, you can have your cake and eat it too—at this art resort.

read the Kirkus review of The Kafka Studies Department by Francis Levy

and also read Joan Baum's NPR review of The Kafka Studies Department