In the Eye of the Beholder by Lena Mattsson with Bo Cavefors
Bo Cavefors förlag – A Boundless History of Culture
15.11 – 9.12 2018
Mellanrummet, Malmö Konsthall
Bo Cavefors founded his publishing firm in 1959 in Lund at the young age of 23. His selection of works to publish was very progressive, and over a 20-year period over 620 titles were published in a number of different genres. Among other things, he allowed artists to create books as they wished, opened up his publishing house to new African literature, and launched a paperback series, BOC-serien, for contemporary philosophy and topical social issues. The African series had covers by CO Hultén, and Cavefors soon also published books on art. Mats B., Torsten Weimarck and Ragnar von Holten are just a few of the writers.
Cavefors continually experimented with format – it could be quickly produced and small but also expensively done. He always deviated from the era’s main highways, not just in terms of form and design but also in terms of the ideas in his books. His catalogue contained names like Ernst Jünger, Karl Marx, Lautréamont, Roland Barthes and Per Engdahl. Cavefors knew no limits to what was permitted to be said and printed. His regular catalogue was often more than an ordinary advertising brochure and more like an artistic fanzine, not least thanks to Carsten Regild’s black lightbulb, which became something of an unofficial logo for the firm.
As a tribute to Cavefors’ fantastic contribution as a publisher, Malmö Konsthall now presents a selection of his firm’s books. The selection and presentation are done by author and art critic Thomas Millroth, who was also a close friend of Bo Cavefors.
Lena Mattsson’s film projection In the Shadow of Truth from 2017, which is a collaboration between the author and the multi-talented Cavefors, is being shown as a complement to the publishing firm’s books and other printed materials. Lena Mattsson has artistically documented and filmed Bo Cavefors for many years. On Saturday 8 December at 3 pm her film versions of two of these works will be shown: I betraktarens öga (In the Eye of the Beholder) (2014) and Den kulturelle onanisten (The Cultural Masturbator) (2015), in C-salen.
OPENING Wednesday 14.11 5–9 pm:
6 pm
The video film I betraktarens öga by Lena Mattsson with Bo Cavefors will be shown as a re-edited single-screen documentary film version. Lena Mattsson’s synchronised video triptych I betraktarens öga was shown in 2014 at Moderna Museet. Both the video triptych and the documentary film shed light on the life and times of the myth, man and human being Bo Cavefors. The film has English subtitles and is 35:29 minutes long. The music was specially composed by Conny C-A Malmqvist. C-salen.
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Conversation about Bo Cavefors förlag with Lena Mattsson, artist, Måns Holst-Ekström, author and art critic, and Thomas Millroth, author and art critic. Moderator: Per Engström, Malmö Konsthall Bookshop. C-salen.
TIPS Don’t miss Friday 16 November:
MED SVARTA FANOR: Requiem för Bo Cavefors
(WITH BLACK BANNERS: Requiem for Bo Cavefors)
Participants: Mårten Björk, Leif Holmstrand & Lena Mattsson
Östervärns Antikvariet & Bokhandel – ANTI (Höstgatan 37)
