‘We don't think it should be controversial to talk about these subjects’: Bonniers Konsthall opens exhibition on art as antifascist resistance ahead of Swedish election
The group show ‘The Defeated: The Aesthetics of Resistance 2026’, which opened in Stockholm this week, is inspired by the antifascist, postwar literature of German-Swedish writer Peter Weiss
Bonniers Konsthall in Stockholm has opened an exhibition titled "The Defeated: The Aesthetics of Resistance 2026" featuring 19 international artists. The show draws inspiration from two books by Swedish-German artist, filmmaker and playwright Peter Weiss: "The Defeated" (1948) and "The Aesthetics of Resistance" (1975-1981). The exhibition aims to discuss the role of art and culture in navigating today's political climate, particularly in light of the upcoming Swedish parliamentary election on September 13.
The artists respond to the themes and issues raised in Weiss' novels, incorporating their own artistic mediums and contexts to explore the idea of resistance. For example, Ukrainian artist Kateryna Lysovenko presents "Madness of Fascism" (2026), a painting depicting a "fascist" family against a backdrop of human organs. Lebanese artist Ali Cherri creates "The Summoner, Grafting" (2026), a hybrid sculpture combining an Italian stone fountain head with a headless Thai statuette torso.
Hamedine Kane and Valérie Osouf's large textile piece, "Where the Seams Hold Against the Fixed Narrative" (2026), pays homage to Théodore Géricault's 19th-century painting "Raft of the Medusa" and incorporates images of 20th-century liberation movements.
The exhibition also includes historical works by Peter Weiss and his wife Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss, such as the junk metal effigy "Bogey" (1967) created for Weiss' 1966 play "Song from the Lusitanian Bogey". Curator Joanna Nordin Asp emphasizes that the exhibition takes inspiration from Weiss' writing, working with the concept of montage, weaving together historical, political, philosophical, and existential elements in an exhibition built on associations.
The project includes a series of essays by leading philosophers and writers, further expanding the discourse.
Written by urgent.news from The Art Newspaper's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
