Cybertotem

Wood and trees, wood as material, tree as motif, tree as symbol. Wood is central in Bäcklin’s imagery, the roots of which are nourished by the self-experienced, mythology, nature and civilization, creation and downfall, life and death.

Bäcklin sees the artwork as a sort of time machine and memorial to humanity. The viewer is transported to a future without humans, where we can observe our own time from a new perspective and, despite everything, still feel a bit humbled in the face of what we have managed to accomplish. He is inspired by traditional Swedish wood carving, and by the Japanese art of kintsugi, in which objects are repaired through gilding.