Commoncause

In the video, we see more than three hundred basketballs, each stuffed into a velvet bag, making their way down a staircase. The video was filmed on the main staircase at the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm and can be read in different ways. Each ball is unique, but together they form a kind of collective — working together, moving forward and moving as one. Some of the objects move quickly, while others move slowly. Some stumble along the way, but they all seem to be invading the space — much like the students do at this time of year at Sveavägen 65.

Throughout her career, Friberg has carried out intuitive, anthropological research using contemporary men as the object of her work. Commoncause marked a shift in her aesthetic expression, moving away from portrayals of human beings and towards more abstract forms.

Maria Friberg, born in 1966 in Malmö, is one of Sweden’s most established photo and video artists. Friberg is represented at SSE by three works:

• In the boardroom, we find Somewhere Else (1998), one of Maria Friberg’s earliest and best-known works.
• On floor 5, in the northern staircase, you can find Changed Position (2014), depicting a man placed on top of a pile of shirts.
• In room Estrid (at the Presidents office), you can find Alongside Us [#2] (2007).

Friberg’s works are also represented in the collections of, among others, Moderna Museet in Stockholm, Kiasma – Museum of Contemporary Art in Helsinki, Fotomuseum Winterthur in Zürich, and the Denver Art Museum.

Maria Friberg by Mattias Lindbäck.