Lars Arrhenius: Handels for Future!

Lars Arrhenius’ video artwork Handels for Future! from 2019 is a playful yet serious portrait of the Stockholm School of Economics — at once an interpretation and an idealized image. It depicts the school’s relationship to its surroundings and the important sustainability issues that Lars Arrhenius was so deeply engaged in. It was with great sadness that, in the spring of 2020, we learned that Lars, our friend, had passed away. The commitment and warmth he brought to the creation of the artwork were glowing.

HfF_regnbåge.jpg

Video, 7:08 min

Lars Arrhenius’ (1966–2020) video artwork Handels for Future! (2019) is on permanent display at the House of Innovation on Norrtullsgatan, in the cafeteria, and is also shown on the small screen in the north corridor of the groundfloor on Sveavägen 65. Lars, who passed away shortly before the inauguration of the artwork, was a close friend of SSE and the Art Initiative. His work brilliantly expresses our hope that art can bring even greater hospitality and creativity into our school.

Tradition meets optimism for the future in his playful vision of the school as a friendly and transparent doll’s house. Handels for Future! helps present our school to students and faculty alike, highlighting scientific inquiry while always maintaining a human, empathetic, and joyful spirit. Our world faces serious global challenges that must be addressed by the future decision-makers we seek to educate. Lars’ work welcomes the joy, intelligence, and creativity of every new student arriving at Sveavägen 65.

“Lars Arrhenius was an artist who moved effortlessly across boundaries. He was audacious, unconstrained by genre, and driven by genuine curiosity, humour, and a strong sense of community,” says Lars Strannegård, President of the Stockholm School of Economics. “It is deeply sad that Lars is no longer with us. The memory of him remains, and his loving interpretation of the Stockholm School of Economics will be cared for with great tenderness.”

Handels for Future! was made possible through a donation from alumni Lars Bane and Staffan Olsson.

The artwork is permanently displayed at the House of Innovation, Norrtullsgatan 2, and on Lill-skärmen on the groundfloor of Sveavägen 65.

Graphics: Josefin Gahmberg and Clara Lindström, Bäck Studio
Animation: Johan Forslind and Kalle Sandzén

Another artwork by Lars Arrhenius in Stockholm can be found at the Thorildsplan metro station. (link)