File Under: The Work / Björn Lövin

Björn Lövin (1937–2009) was one of the first Swedish installation artists. Lövin's large scale works were critical to totalitarian systems, ranging from the People’s Home (Folkhemmet) to the consumption society, which includes some and excludes others and attract by offering safety, but at the cost of individual freedom. His career started with a solo show at Moderna Museet curated by Pontus Hultén and included solo shows at Centre Pompidou in Paris, Liljevalchs and Kulturhuset in Stockholm and at Malmö Konsthall amongst others.
In two sketches, one in english and one in swedish, the idea of the ”total exhibition” is presented and this were to include most of his works, mostly large installation pieces and his films, come together as a concluding gesamtkunstwerk. The pieces were meant to be seen through each other to create an ”effect of depth” that would make the relationships between the installations more complex. It is unsure if the sketch were to be realised, as it demands a lot from the size and shape of the room and also that Mr Lövin was not very careful in saving his artworks. The pieces that were part of the installations were treated as props and have not always been saved for posterity.
The book contains a walkthrough from an unrealised ”total exhibition” based on Björn Lövin´s oeuvre.