Elina Bergmark Wiberg
Auto Pliage

The idea and concept of collapsibility is a recurring theme in Elina Bergmark Wiberg’s work. The term describes the specific properties of an object that can be transformed into a smaller, space-saving shape. The exhibition Auto Pliage applies this as a fundamental idea, in both the development and the logistical conveyance of the works.

In 1908, Ford Motor Company introduced the first mass-produced- and distributed vehicles, thereby laying the foundation for a new global automotive market. With the introduction of the concept of standardization and assembly line production, new means of distribution and shipping became necessary. As trade networks solidified throughout the 20th century, emerging markets with lower economic growth became increasingly integrated into the global automotive supply chain.

While car manufacturing plants were continuously being established throughout Eastern Europe, the import of refurbished vehicles and parts remains an increasingly growing market today. As a result, the concept of knock-down kits has emerged, where unassembled machine parts are packaged and shipped for assembly at external factories. In this way, Western car manufacturers can significantly minimize the tariffs on vehicles in markets with high import taxes.

As such, the materials that make up the works presented in Auto Pliage are sourced from auto salvages, where stockpiles of dismantled cars are refurbished and resold, as assembled or as spare parts. From her studio in Copenhagen, the artist shipped the entire exhibition to Bulgaria as unassembled parts, reduced to the most cost-effective mode of transportation.

An assortment of fenders, bumpers and panels have been removed from their original bodies and packed in suitcases and transport bags. Alongside is a disassembled car radio, and residue parts from the sculpting processes of a metal foundry, where the artist works on a daily basis. By disembodying the vehicle into singularities, the exhibition reflects on the intrinsic capacities and limitations of global production, logistics, and models of economic growth - in an inherent status between capacity and collapse. - Markus von Platen

Elina Bergmark Wiberg (b.1991, SE) is based in Copenhagen, DK. She holds an MFA from Funen Art Academy, DK, and has pursued studies at the Royal Art Academy, SE, and at Parsons Paris, FR. Her practice delves into the complex tapestry of the built and lived environment, employing an excavationist approach to unveil concealed landscapes. In her sculptural and object-based work, she forms semantic and epistemological connections among objects, probing their immanent narratives woven in familial, cultural, and architectural histories.

The exhibition is supported by the Swedish Arts Grants Committee and the Danish Arts Foundation. Many thanks to Tequila Bar Fnky Mnky for providing free drinks at the vernissage.