Lina Selander to present meta-montage at Swedish Pavilion for 2015 Venice Biennale

Lina Selander will represent Sweden at the 2015 Venice Biennale with an exhibition titled 'Excavating of the Image: Imprint, Shadow Spectre, Thought' in the Arsenale. Curated by Lena Essling, the show features works from 2011 to 2015, arranged as an overarching meta-montage that explores images as representation, memory, and objects. Selander examines historical events like Chernobyl and Hiroshima, juxtaposing them with nature to reference photographic, geological, and nuclear processes. The exhibition includes a publication with a conversation between Selander, Oscar Mangione, and Kim West, plus a text by Raymond Bellour. Invited by Daniel Birnbaum and Ann-Sofie Norling of Moderna Museet in Stockholm, Selander notes the larger scale and visitor numbers compared to typical shows, with installation constraints at the Arsenale leading her to use textile curtains. She expresses honor in representing her country and aims to engage all audiences, hoping visitors spend more than the average two minutes per pavilion. Selander cites Hans Haacke's 'Germania' as a key memory and looks forward to seeing Joan Jonas and Okwui Enwezor's contributions. The pavilion has increased media attention in Sweden, including a documentary by Swedish television and collaboration interest from gallerists. The questionnaire was published online exclusively on 18 April 2015 by ArtReview as part of a series leading up to the Biennale opening.