Par Fredin

Repatrio
27 May – 10 September 2017 

For several years, Pär Fredin (b. 1964) has engaged in buying and collecting objects that, through their form and content, possess obvious connections to Uppsala, and many of which we would refer to as souvenirs. Hundreds of artefacts once spread around the world have now been returned to Uppsala through the efforts of the artist.

Pär Fredin was born and raised in Uppsala, but now lives and works in Stockholm. He received his education at the Konstfack University College of Arts, Crafts and Design and at the Royal Institute of Fine Art, Stockholm. Fredin's interest centres on images, events and tendencies that lie slightly beyond the bounds of the ordinary, but that indeed engage many individuals. These could include items found on Ebay or old postcards where the sender has marked something on the image with an X. Individual events that together create phenomena. In other works, Fredin focuses on  other patterns of movement and signs in our surroundings, as in the piece Den som rör mig skall mista sig (Touch Me, Lose Me), that deals with the seasonal migratory routes of the White Wagtail, and how we humans interpret them.

In the piece Repatrio, the focus has been on artefacts with connections to Uppsala. These can be ordinary souvenirs, but also trademarks, everyday household items, clothes, carpets, envelopes and so on. Not only does it present a collective image of sorts of Uppsala, but the piece also deals with the psychology of collecting, and of the complicated issue of ownership in relation to our cultural heritage. Here, the term local patriotism has truly been turned on its end.

Daniel Werkmäster
Museum Director

Read more: Pär Fredin