Tirén, Johan

Born 1973, Sweden
Lives in Stockholm, Sweden

IN THE GALLERY

Tirén’s posters employ familiar and somewhat generic-looking imagery: a line of people holding hands, scenes of nature and historical monuments—all of which suggest quotidian bourgeois life. The friendly black-and-white silhouettes are accompanied by familiar slogans often heard in debates about nationality and patriotism. Here, however, they are curiously devoid of any attribution to a specific political figure or party (not just because they are in Swedish). Some of the familiar slogans are slightly altered, like “A democratic nation has never started a war.” The combination of the images with the texts is gently discordant as the seeming affability of the works is undermined by a deeper, more reflective sense of unease.

Notes in Connection with the Celebration of a National Day, 2007 (detail and installation view)

Series composed of 7 unique posters

19 1/2” x 27 1/2” each

Courtesy the artist