This major monographic publication is the first in-depth study of the oeuvre of Swedish artist Ann Böttcher.
Ann Böttcher's practice looks at folklore, Nazi ideology, ethnology, sanatoriums, and forest dieback, reproduced through drawings and craft in a remarkable study of nature and historical forms of reflection.
At the center of Böttcher's imagery we find the spruce. Through exquisite craftsmanship, and with reference to romantic nationalism, the artist explores how aesthetic and political projections characterize notions of nature, and how such conceptions are taken up by countries, political movements, and other institutions. This richly illustrated volume reflects, among other themes, the role the spruce has served as a symbol for the formation of Nordic territorial claims and national identities.
Published on the occasion of the eponymous artist's mid-career survey exhibition at Bonniers Konsthall, Stockholm, in 2021.
Ann Böttcher (born 1973 in Bruzaholm, Sweden, lives and works in Malmö), studied at Konstfack, Stockholm and the Art Academy in Malmö. Solo exhibitions include "The 1st at Moderna," Moderna Museet, Stockholm (2005), "The Entrance to the Sanatorium," INDEX, Stockholm in (2007), and "Beskåda detta otäcka land" at Vandalorum in Värnamo (2015). She has participated in group exhibitions at venues including Magasin III Museum for Contemporary Art, Stockholm (2014, 2010); EVA International Biennial, Limerick (2014); Lofoten International Art Festival, Lofoten (2013); Museum de Fundatie, Zwolle (2011); Malmö Konstmusem, Malmö (2010); Nationalmuseum, Stockholm (2009); WUK Kunsthalle Exnergasse, Vienna (2009); Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Copenhagen (2008); ZKM, Karlsruhe (2008); and the MoMA P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, New York (2006).
