“Björn Lövin – The Surrounding Reality” presents reconstructions of three large-scale environments by the Swedish artist Björn Lövin (1937–2009). With carefully chosen details, Lövin built fictional worlds that resemble film sets, spaces that visitors could step into and experience from within.

None of Lövin’s original environments from the 1970s and 80s were preserved after their exhibitions. The installations presented here are therefore reconstructions, interpreting and recreating the atmosphere of the works as they were first shown.

The reconstructions are based on extensive research. Photographs, films and archival documents have been used to identify objects, materials and spatial arrangements. The exhibition brings together three environments: Consumer in Infinity and “Mr P’s Hoard”, L’image, and C – The Struggle for Reality.

Björn Lövin was one of the first Swedish artists in the late 1960s to work with spatial installations, then referred to as environments. His large-scale works critically examined social structures, from the ideals of the Swedish welfare state to the mechanisms of consumer society.

His environments have been presented at institutions such as Moderna Museet in Stockholm, Centre Pompidou in Paris, Liljevalchs and Kulturhuset in Stockholm, and Malmö Konsthall.