The permanent exhibition room will be closed exceptionally on 11 September 2024.
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Exhibition: ForĂȘts astrales

A group exhibition standing at the intersection between design, contemporary art and traditional craft presents creations by five bold women artists.
Sculptures and design objects evoking a submarine or sylvan microcosm.

Colourful lichen, sculptures and objects made of leather, glass and textiles
 These creations inspired not only by the Swedish countryside and traditions but also by contemporary technologies are presented in the 16th-century home of the Institut suédois, forming a timeless Nordic macrocosm.

The exhibition, held in several of our spaces and playing with their volumes and light, features some thirty art and design exhibits made by five successful woman artists: Malin Bobeck Tadaa, Hanna Hansdotter, Louise Hederström, Aia JĂŒdes and Emilia Sundqvist. Their artworks, which are sustainable, surprising and playful, exist somewhere between an enchanted forest and a dreamlike galaxy. They combine unusual natural materials, bold forms, ancestral motifs and original techniques: tree burls, sculptures made of coloured lichen and blown glass, luminous textiles
 all showing influences and connections with baroque art and Surrealism.

To continue this journey between different worlds and materials, the paved courtyard features a Sommarkiosk – a typical red Swedish cabin – which takes up a traditional floral motif that appears in the exhibition, as well as two classic themes of Swedish architecture and culture: wood carving and Falun red paint. The Sommarkiosk stands like a beacon in the centre of the courtyard and serves as an open-air counter for cafĂ© FIKA, whose outside seating area has been extended beyond its usual boundaries. We’ve also extended the cafĂ© opening hours, which means that you can enjoy snacks and drinks until sundown.

 This multi-facetted project was designed by the curator and artist Aia JĂŒdes and the art director Sanna Å Gebeyehu, specifically for the Institut suĂ©dois.

The exhibition is part of Paris Design Week and the festival Traversées du Marais.

With the support of the Embassy of Sweden in France.

Useful information

  • Welcome to the opening/ 07.09.2024 / 18:00 – 21:00
  • The exhibition is open Tuesday to Sunday, 12 noon to 7 pm. Open late on Thursdays until 9 pm.
  • CafĂ© FIKA “in summer mode”, as well as the courtyard, are open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 9pm.