Artist: Jan Edlund
Place: Vendelsömalmskolan, Haninge kommun
Inauguration: 2009
When the dining room at the school in Vendelsömalm was rebuilt, they wanted art for this space.
I was asked to find a painting where it would be clear to see what the motif was, and would be appetizing.
Instead of getting them a painting, I brought about six or seven suggestions. A pedagogue then held a workshop with the student council, ages about 13-15. We thought they would pick one of the "cool" paintings, but instead they chose Utsnitt by Jan Edlund. These kids motivated this with formulations like "closeness to death" and "the borderland".
The painting was installed.
And hung there for some time, before some of the teachers argued that it was unsuitable to have an almost naked man among children.
The last I heard, the painting was stashed into the principals office.
There you have it, students: A good lesson in democracy!