Through the lens of popular cultural images, Wizén invites us into some colorful fantasies based on Disney’s versions of Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan. The two characters have in common that they confront worlds that lie beyond the known, the illuminated, the rational — worlds of opportunity but also of darkness. As always in Wizén’s complex artistry, these new works are intimately linked with some earlier ones, delving deeper into certain aspects.
The large-scale photographs are based on collages made up of tens of thousands of image fragments or pieces arranged by the artist in an extremely complex and time-consuming processes. New worlds are created based on existing images. Adventure stories and a return to his own childhood form layers in these new works, but beneath the innocent and playful surfaces lurks something disconcerting.
Wizén’s working method relies on a strict set of self-imposed rules, precision, and great patience. In the course of working with his collages, Wizén keeps the whole of the new picture in mind while simultaneously concentrating on the details. The process may be likened to deep meditations that open the door for something unexpected and dark to emerge—something the intellect cannot grasp. It is there beyond the words that the artist’s world and the observer’s world meet.
Per Wizén lives and works in Malmö.
Curator: Iris Müller-Westermann
