Polina Stohnushko, Intervention LEGAL, 2024, OpenArt 2024, Örebro, Sweden, Photo: Sofie Isaksson

The intervention LEGAL emerged as both a direct response and a manifesto after a year-long series of negotiations with landlords in Örebro while seeking a suitable surface for my work within Open Art Sweden. After visiting Örebro, I selected several locations for potential interventions, many of which were rejected by landlords who refused to allow me to use the surfaces of their buildings. As a result, I received permission to use a wall that I had not planned to work with, which is located opposite the one I was considering for the intervention

Given the official authorization, I conceived the idea of the LEGAL intervention, which ironically highlights the idea of permission to work with public space. It exposes the implicit politics of city space in Sweden, revealing its limitations, especially through attempts to engage with its physical realm. As a political commentary, the inscription reflects the escalating influence of capitalism and neoliberal policies, which negatively affect the inclusiveness of city space, where permission is required before using it. The intervention encourages a critical reassessment of the illusion of freedom, highlighting how contemporary cities are increasingly defined by orders and boundaries rather than shared, meaningful spaces

Within this framework, it raises fundamental inquiries: what precisely constitutes the public in the context of modern city space, and to what extent are we truly free within it?

145 cm x 10000 cm, velvet tape on a wall

Intervention made within the Open Art Sweden 2024

LEGAL