The exhibition Labour mon Amour is an homage of the invisible work and labour that surrounds us, but often is taken for granted. In the exhibition the artists Rana Kadry and Helena Persson meet through several installations and artworks, with different artistic approaches. The exhibition has emerged through conversations, messages, photos and sketches sent back and forth between the two countries where the artists have been situated during the autumn – South Africa and Sweden. Actually, the first time they meet is in this very gallery. 

Their focus is social diversity and identity. Labour mon Amour is an exploration of society from a serious but at also playful angle – an ongoing conversation about how we value people’s lives and actions. And the possibilities to make a change.

Who is cleaning behind the scenes?

Do we see them? 

Who is doing the labour for whom? 

Do we acknowledge them? 

Rana Kadry is experimenting with cleaning tools and found objects from Johannesburg. The body of work celebrates domestic labour and reflects on the socio-economic classes and race dilemma within the labour force. The concept started as a response to the domestic workers in South Africa which shape a big part of the households of middle and upper classes. In a similar way in Sweden, yet more subtle, we face the same challenges related to migration and unequal salaries. 

Lately, Helena Persson has been diving deeper into the sounding world of invisible and handmade work. Her sound art work focuses on craft that is not always noticed, rather it might be taken for granted when entering a room. This work is also from a societal angle, often connected to status and gender, and additionally makes someone’s actions invisible. In these sound pieces, those actions and labour are given a presence that otherwise are often invisible.

Rana Kadry was born in Cairo, Egypt and raised in Montréal Canada. She lives in Stockholm and has recently completed a Master in Visual Communication from Konstfack. She works within graphic design, illustration and scenography and her main focus is storytelling, feminism and minority-related issues.

www.instagram.com/ranakadry

Helena Persson is a sound artist mainly working with sound composition and sound art installations. The works are often characterised by field recordings and realised as spatial, multi-channel installations. Helena also has a foothold in the experimental music scene with acoustic drone hovering between dissonance, consonance and vibrations. 

www.soundsibling.com

The exhibition is guest curated by Karolina Westenhoff, karolina@karolinaw.se

Candyland’s exhibition programme is supported by the Swedish Arts Council and City of Stockholm.