Swedish artist locks herself in a cage alone and naked for three days in bizarre public exhibition
- ‘Actor in a Cage’ was a 73-hour long performance by Swedish actor Elin Skarin
- She locked herself naked in the cage and took gifts from members of audience
A Swedish artist locked herself in a cage alone and naked for three days in a bizarre public exhibition in Stockholm which ended with her sharing a cigarette with her mother.
Elin Skarin, 35, relied on items thrown in to the cage from members of the audience as she navigated herself through 73 hours of madness in an attempt to ‘examine the relationship between her personal identity and her role as an actor’.
Although the cage started off with nothing but a camping toilet, some toilet paper and a microphone, it was soon flooded with gifts ranging from food to bottles of beer and practical items such as a pillow and clothing.
Footage taken at the exhibition at the end of last month gave a snapshot of what Skarin did during her three days of self-incarceration.
One clip showed her completely naked with her arms raised in the air, soaking up a rapturous applause from the audience.
A Swedish artist locked herself in a cage alone and naked for three days in a bizarre public exhibition in Stockholm which ended with her sharing a cigarette with her mother
Elin Skarin, 35, relied on items thrown in to the cage from members of the audience as she navigated herself through 73 hours of madness
Later on, she could be seen acting inside the cage, posing for photos and staring at the audience in Stockholm’s trendy Sodermalm district.
As the video continued, the artist could be seen charging from one side of the cage to the other before diving into a box and hiding.
As the crowd continue to applaud her, she then reappeared, this time outside of the cage while holding a bottle of wine and celebrating.
The artist recalled some of the poignant moments, including when she broke down in tears in front of her therapist who she had not seen in three years.
She also said that on the final day, her mother visited her and they shared a cigarette together.
Speaking to MailOnline about the performance, Skarin explained: ‘”Actor in a Cage” was a 73-hour long theatre performance that examined the relationship between my personal identity and my role as an actor.
‘I aimed to see if I could free myself from the social contract by merging my personal self with my artistic self. To do this I entered a cage. Everything I did there was part of the theatrical production.
‘Each person in the audience was required to leave a gift to me through a hatch. Those gifts became the scenography and props for the performance.
Skarin started off in the cage with nothing but a camping toilet, some toilet paper and a microphone
The artist was performing for an audience who regularly applauded her during the three day exhibition
Tickets ranged from £11 to £20 but permitted members of the audience to provide Skarin with a gift
‘The piece became highly collective and the gifts became significant factors in the performance.’
She continued: ‘On the final day, my psychoanalyst whom I had not seen in three years, attended the performance. At that point, I was highly emotional and vulnerable, standing half-naked in front of him, crying.
‘The audience was confused as to who this man was, and a conversation started about art, life, chaos and madness.
‘People laughed and cried. The last day my mother entered the piece, and we had a cigarette together.’
This is the moment that Skarin suddenly emerged outside of the cage and walked towards the audience
Describing the exhibition’s concept on their website, the group behind ‘Actor in a Cage’ said: ‘During the three days, the cage transforms from a solitary work into a work with traces of all the people who have been there.’
They added: ‘Is it possible to create theatre at the same time out of nothing and on demand? When is the actor an artist and when is she a man?’
Tickets ranged from £11 to £20 but permitted members of the audience to provide Skarin with a gift. Visitors were allowed to give the artist anything except from something ‘living’.
While those with tickets could go in and watch Skarin’s three days of isolation, others could watch the performance on a live stream on the street outside.
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