In Between the Best of Worlds

With questions about vulnerability, control, violence and vigilance, Swedish artist Ann-Sofi Sidén unravels threads of the history of the human psyche in extensive film installations. Her artistic explorations revolve around various social phenomena of an historical, medical, or psychological nature: the boundaries between science, society and man’s inner soul are under scrutiny. Yet Sidén’s primary preoccupation is not with psychology, mental illness or the spectacular, but with something infinitely more universal and profoundly more human. She gently outlines the social behaviors and exoticising and exclusion mechanisms that characterize western history. One of her works from 2003–“3 mph”–was filmed during a 25-day ride on horseback in Texas. The 35-minute panoramic film installation cuts through a myriad of social and cultural strata in contemporary Texas. This book offers a comprehensive overview of Sidén’s complete work from 1990 to today. Compiled in close collaboration with the artist, it is the definitive guide to Sidén’s career so far.