Abuse of Power Comes as No Surprise

Art from the collection of Marika & CG Wachtmeister

2025

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2025

Lada 1

The picture shows a work by Janine Antoni.

This summer, the art and design museum Vandalorum presents a new exhibition featuring works from the international art collection that Marika and CG Wachtmeister have built over half a century. The exhibition focuses on the Swedish couple’s long-standing relationship with the U.S. art world and showcases works by around 40 influential artists who have been active during the various challenging and increasingly alarming developments that have shaped the country from the 1970s to the present day.

Many of the artists in the exhibition have made an impact far beyond the art world, often embedding political undercurrents in their work. Among them is Andres Serrano, whose powerful photographs have repeatedly confronted some of the most painful chapters in American history: religion, racism, and warfare. We also encounter Jenny Holzer (whose work lends the exhibition its title), who has used language for decades to expose what those in power seek to silence. The exhibition includes works addressing human vulnerability by Louise Bourgeois, slavery by Kara Walker, and the precarious situation of women by Nan Goldin. A common thread among many of these artists is the directness in their approach—whether through imagery, materials, or message.

The exhibition includes works by, among others, Marina Abramović, Janine Antoni, Louise Bourgeois, Nan Goldin, Ann Hamilton, Jenny Holzer, Emily Jacir, Zoran Naskovski, Karyn Olivier, Yoko Ono, Roxy Paine, Dread Scott, Andres Serrano, Kara Walker, and Robert Wilson. The exhibition also features works by Swedish artists who have been active in the U.S., such as Axel (Annica) Karlsson Rixon, Monika Larsen Dennis, Ann-Sofi Sidén, and Anne Thulin.

Marika and CG Wachtmeister first traveled to New York together in 1974. Since then, the city and its artists have remained their greatest source of inspiration. Over the same period, American society has undergone profound transformations, which are reflected in the art. Yet, it is almost unimaginable that we now find ourselves in a situation where the preservation of democracy is uncertain, with unpredictable consequences for the world.

In 1987, Marika Wachtmeister founded the international exhibition program at Wanås in the south of Sweden, where several artists from this collection have participated. Today, Wanås Konst is an internationally renowned sculpture park with over 80 permanent works set within a magnificent beech forest and historic buildings.

To accompany the exhibition, Vandalorum is publishing a catalog featuring texts by award-winning journalist and author Martin Gelin. Gelin has been the U.S. correspondent for the leading Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter for many years and has written books such as The White Storm – How Racism Poisoned American Democracy, 2022, and Tomorrow I Am Far from Here: A Farewell Letter to the U.S., 2024.

The exhibition is produced by Vandalorum and designed by TAF Studio. Previous exhibitions featuring works from Marika and CG Wachtmeister’s collection have been presented at Kristianstad Konsthall (2022) and Liljevalchs Konsthall (2024).

With thanks to: Tore G Wärenstam Foundation, Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation, Swedish Arts Council, Region Jönköping County, Värnamo Municipality

^{Photos:
Dread Scott, Pentagon (Obliterated Power), Cristin Tierney Gallery, New York
A. Karlsson Rixon,}^{Winter Morning at Santa Monica}^{Mattas Lindbäck / Liljevalchs
Richard Hamilton,}^{Guggenheim Chrome}^{, 1970
Janine Antoni,}^Unveiling^{, 1994
Ann-Sofie Sidén,}^{Rocket Park}^{, 2003}