Juntan – On the border between art, crafts and design

2025

Is there any difference between a utility object and a work of art? Or: when do you perceive a vase as a sculpture?

Defining an object's belonging to a category may seem like an internal matter for museum people, but it (usually unconsciously) greatly influences how we relate to things around us. Do we use a vase or do we look at it? Does it matter that it works well for tulips or do we care about its shape or, even in the first place, who created it? Do the craftsmanship and production play a role?

These questions have led to inviting four young artists – Isa Andersson, Leonie Burkhardt, Caroline Harrius and Kristin Larsson – who work with glass, metal, ceramics and textiles, and who in and through their works challenge our habitual notions. With the help of their works, we will twist and turn the concepts in the exhibition Juntan to also examine the museum's collections and move between contemporary expressions and historical materials. A number of paintings, with motifs linked to the theme, for example on the subject of ornament and decoration, also complement the selection with the aim of illuminating the issues in new ways.

The meetings go both ways, so to speak: The new works encounter each other, and the collections. The collections are enriched by the new that comes from outside. Through new and unusual constellations, we can adjust our perspective, change the writing of history, reflect on what we thought we knew, and take new steps towards a broader understanding of art and crafts, what distinguishes and unites them, and what is significant.

The project was presented at Jönköpings läns museum, curated by Martin Sundberg

All images by Albin Hovlin for Jönköpings Läns Museum