The first time I saw one of Cajsa's pieces, I was walking down a flight of stairs at the Gothenburg City Museum. Amongst the antique white marble statues there was a huge upside-down STRIPPER slowly rotating on a pole that reached all the way to the 20-foot high ceiling. Since, it's become apparent that I'm not the only one dumbstruck by Cajsa's work. Only four years after graduating from the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm, Cajsa and her "angry girls in Buffalo shoes," as she puts it, have been exhibited in scores of museums and galleries.
As Cajsa lit up a cigarette, we discussed true love, how partying has affected her work, and seeking new inspiration in a headbanging pineapple.
Photos by Lina Michal
Lina Michal: Hi Cajsa! I remember when I first came across your work, I was completely floored and just stood there! It was incredibly powerful. What do you think it is about your art that has that kind of impact?
Cajsa von Zeipel: Well, partly I think it is because of the mere size. Size is power, and it affects you when you’re feeling small. The difference in size creates a kind of hierarchy between the onlooker and the object and I kind of like to crack down on the viewer, to make them feel a little uncomfortable. And that makes this choice of size a must, because as soon as you can look down on something you have power over it. That’s also why I always wear high heels.
I work a lot with trying to bring out some kind of attitude as well. I don’t feel like portraying just about anyone. And I don’t think people are used to meeting this type of attitude in sculpture. There’s definitely a bit of an aggressive trait to most of my work. I mean, I love this reaction you just described, because it’s a kind of wow-feeling––but with fear––and that’s exactly what I strive for.
Mission accomplished! I felt equal parts fear and delight.
Yeah, it’s just like true love, that’s how you wanna feel when you meet someone you really like. You don’t wanna be like ”Aw, this is cozy." You wanna be scared, because that’s when it really gets to you and takes you further. So it’s about making the sculpture ”pop," making it into a character and not an object.
It hit me when I saw that first sculpture that, despite being an undressed stripper, didn’t strike me as another worn out art cliché: the objectified female body.
Yes, and that’s a crucial point in my work, not to let that undressed girl be a fucking dork. You don’t have to dress them to give them a kind of status. It’s about getting to that point without having to turn them into ”good girls” again.
How do you explore your themes? What attracts your attention and inspires you?
It’s a merge of a number of things. The artist Bruegel and his gro