- Where is my land
- 2024
- Gustav Adolfs Torg
Where is My Land by Runo Lagomarsino and Carla Zaccagnini consists of the phrases
“NOWHERE IS MY LAND” and “ANYWHERE IS MY LAND.” The text is displayed in capital letters using LED lights mounted on a freestanding structure. The location at Gustav Adolfs Torg was chosen by the artists Carla Zaccagnini and Runo Lagomarsino because it houses the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defence, which represent a nation-state and its borders.
The artwork’s power lies in the opposition between “nowhere” and “anywhere.” This dichotomy is reminiscent of the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein and the visual paradox known as the Duck-Rabbit, which depicts two animals in one image, though we can only perceive one at a time: either the duck or the rabbit, either the word “nowhere” or “anywhere.”
During the day, the phrase “NOWHERE IS MY LAND” conveys a sense of alienation and lack of belonging. At dusk, the message changes to “ANYWHERE IS MY LAND,” expressing the identity of the diaspora, where home is not a fixed place but rather a community that transcends geopolitical boundaries.
Alfred Nobel established an international peace prize during a time when nationalism was becoming increasingly prevalent in his surroundings. In his lifetime, Nobel witnessed the rise of extreme movements that led to escalating conflicts, culminating in World War I. The creation of the peace prize can be seen as a response to the horrors Nobel observed. As we once again live in an era of growing nationalism, it is important to highlight the right to belong in any country.
- Runo Lagomarsino & Carla Zaccagnini
Carla Zaccagnini, born in 1973 in Buenos Aires, is a professor of conceptual and contextual practice at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. She has held solo exhibitions and participated in group exhibitions at art institutions worldwide. Her works are part of public collections such as the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum of Modern Art in New York, Tate Modern in London, MASP in São Paulo, and Moderna Museet in Stockholm.
Runo Lagomarsino, born in 1977 in Lund, was educated at the Valand Academy in Gothenburg, the Malmö Art Academy, and the Whitney Independent Study Program in New York. In 2019, Lagomarsino was awarded the Moderna Museet Friends’ Sculpture Prize. He has held solo exhibitions and participated in group exhibitions at art institutions worldwide. His works are included in public collections such as the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum of Modern Art in New York, Guangdong Museum of Art, the Coppel Collection in Mexico City, the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma in Helsinki, and Moderna Museet in Stockholm.
This art installation is created in collaboration with Stockholm Konst.
Art Project Manager: Ann Magnusson
“The themes of belonging and displacement have always been central to our works, not only as critical elements but are also as real conditions deeply intertwined with our daily lives and personal identities. Experiences of exile and a fractured feeling of belonging shape our understanding of who we are, how we relate to the world around us, and how we navigate the spaces we inhabit. They are, in essence, inscribed in our bodies—manifested through our emotions, behaviours, physical presence and artistic practice.”
