Exhibition: Les fables de Niki Lindroth von Bahr

Plunge into the creative universe of animated filmmaker Niki Lindroth von Bahr, known for her modern, poetic and funny fables, many of them with social or political messages.
Photo of a miniature mock-up representing an empty canteen with the figure of a mouse dancing, a bucket and a mop abandoned on the floor.

In each of her short films, Niki Lindroth von Bahr shares a vision of the world tinged with humour and melancholy. Stop-motion, the technique she has used since she started out, sets in motion figurines representing little animals with human attributes and behaviour. These characters move around in familiar spaces brimming with details: a supermarket, a hotel, a fast food joint, a petrol station, a nuclear power station, a swimming pool… Like us, they worry, suffer, and wait for a better life; their need to connect with others is palpable.

Niki Lindroth von Bahr’s work is now internationally recognised. She is a regular guest at film festivals such as the Berlin International Film Festival or Sundance and has been awarded prestigious prizes including, for her film The Burden, the Cristal Award at the Annecy Festival, the Best Short Film Award at the Clermont-Ferrand Festival and the Guldbagge Award. She also presents exhibitions in art centres such as Färgfabriken in Stockholm. Her films are broadcast on the TV channel Arte as well as on Netflix, which is now presenting the dark, eccentric comedy The House, for which she made one of the three chapters.

The exhibition at the Institut Suédois highlights how slow and complex the process is. After watching four short movies, discover the miniature sets and characters entirely made by Niki, as well as storyboards, photographs of movie scenes and “making of” videos. Film excerpts also provide an insight into artworks and artists who have particularly inspired her.

Several events with the artist will be taking place during the exhibition run.

The exhibition will then be presented in spring 2023 as part of the Lumières Nordiques event at the Alexis de Tocqueville Library in Caen.

Curator of the exhibition: Gabriel Bauret


Parallel activities

  • Every Sunday at 4 pm. Guided tour with our cultural educators (in French)
  • 27.10.2022 + 01.02.2023. Meet the artist
  • 20.11.2022. Workshop for kids (in French)
  • 14.12.2022 + 12.01.2023. Cartes Blanches given to Niki Lindroth von Bahr
  • February. Masterclass with Niki Lindroth von Bahr

As part of Fête du cinéma d’animation.

In collaboration with Lumières Nordiques and the Alexis de Tocqueville library in Caen, and with support from the Swedish Arts Council (Kulturrådet).

Useful information

  • Admission free, no prior reservation required.
  • The exhibition will be closed from 24 December to 3 January included.