Fatherland?

The artist's collective NotQuite in my region Dalsland arranged two exhibitions this summer questioning the concept of fatherland, motherland or whatever it is called. What associations do we get? What is a fatherland and who decide who has which one? I participated in both.

For the exhibition in the art hall of Åmål I wrote a law forbidding begging. I am sorry to say that many Swedes, and especially many prominent Swedish politicians state that they would like such a law. They say that Swedes ought not become used to beggers or to see poor people sleeping in our streets. Their solution to this is to forbid begging. As you see to the left my text is long, and I am not able to translate it to English. It is construed as a law with paragraphs and arguments, and a historical background. You can find the Swedish version here.

For the exhibition on NotQuite's own ground in the old paper mill in Fengersfors, I layed out My own land, a small one - se below. As the summer was hot it did not grow very well in my land, but the fence was high and the signs so intimidating, that some visitors did not dare to go near, as they thought there was trubbel with a power station ...

You can read the English signs in this pdf. The questions are: to whom do this land belong? To me, to many or perhaps to capitalists. Also: one may complain over borders, but they define our systems for democracy and parliamentarism, for taxes and welfare.