Geschwind developed a unique way of creating “reality animations”, using sound and light to produce animations of real objects in physical space. The result is that a broom looks to be dancing, popcorn seems to be popping, and in a room an earthquake appears to quake indefinitely. Like trompe l’oeuil, these animations are tricks perceived as actual, all while we know we are being fooled.
Geschwind was interested in how this worked. How could it be possible to deceive the eye? And what did it ultimately imply that the real could be manipulated in this way? Within references to cinema—such as popcorn—visitors to After Image are taken through a post-apocalyptic landscape in a film beyond the optics of film, an image of movement, where the action takes place between the movie and its scenography.
Peter Geschwind passed away while working on the exhibition After Image. With the help of people close to him and his practice, Bonniers Konsthall has mounted the exhibition to the best of our abilities, wanting to give the public the opportunity to experience the most recent vision by one of Sweden’s most important artists.
BIOGRAPHY
Peter Geschwind (1966–2021) lived and worked in Stockholm. He studied at the Konstfack University College of Arts, Crafts and Design and the Royal Institute of Art.
Peter Geschwind had a seminal influence. He allowed boundaries between artist, producer, educator to be dynamic and created new constellations and collaborations according to circumstances. In his practice, he explored a wide range of materials and techniques,often using everyday objects, which he imbued with new meanings. His often low-tech works with a DIY feeling play with references to popular culture, with a tangible presence of humour, melancholia and madness.
Geschwind was one of the founding members of the artist-organized gallery Ynglingagatan 1 in Stockholm, which had a crucial impact on contemporary art in the 1990s. In 2008–2018, Geschwind was a professor of fine art specialising in sculpture at the Royal Institute of Art, and he was also its deputy vice-chancellor in 2016–2017.
Geschwind’s works have been shown at numerous museums and galleries, including the Modern Art Gallery, Tensta Konsthall, Art in General, Moderna Museet, Färgfabriken, Borås Konsthall, the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Gävle Konstcentrum, Liljevalchs, Kunsthalle Vierseithof and Centre Culturel Suédois.
