I am working on a series of pieces based on the idea of myself as an artist prepper, a ‘survivalist’. I use my artistic work to forecast the potential dark future we are facing. What do I need as a person to survive? How can I use my present work to help out in different future scenarios and, at the same time show the obvious damage we all participate in?

As I was working on this subject, I realized that it would be really hard to stand the absence of art and that all good artworks that have been created this far will disappear when a large part of the planet goes underwater. What is interesting to keep for the future; what do we want to pass on to our kids and to the eventual survivors?

As an artist, I have always been into DIY and been engaged in different artistic organisations. This becomes very natural living and working in Gothenburg, which sometimes can be experienced almost like a city with an anarchistic art society. Gothenburg has a strong scene of artist run galleries and artists that have chosen to live here to get away from the hierarchical and elitist art world that exists in many other cities around the world.

When I started the Apocalypse Insurance series I did it with a large amount of criticism to the whole idea of “just make sure you and your family is safe” – which is the model that the insurance industry is based on and an idea that the ‘preppers’ are into. This is not so different to the contemporary art scene, which is often a very ego and selfish driven system.

Apocalypse Insurance / Waterproof. A Selection of Art History is an attempt to map out a more horizontal view of the arts and to get an alternative picture of what the history of artists and their practices will be like in the future. I see this work as an ongoing piece, hoping that every time I will exhibit it that more artists will choose to be part of the future and create a new heritage. When the apocalypse happens and if somebody survives, this person will probably have more important things to think about than art as it is conceived today, but I like to think that the selection of artist books might serve as a starting point to face a new surviving situation.

I like to preserve artist books – not only the well known ones. I am planning to collect artist books and vacuum package them and pile them on a floatable ‘Pallet’.

I need your help to collect all these artist books. Do you want to be part of it? What is important to save for the future? What do you think the future Art History shall include? Are you willing to give away one of your own artist books? I would be delighted and so thankful if you will help me with this piece. The books will be presented so that the backs are visible to the audience. I would be more than happy if you can send it to me:

Linda Tedsdotter

Konstepidemins väg 6

413 14 Göteborg

Sweden