WINTER BLUES
2026Solo Exhibition Konstepidemin Galleri
WINTER BLUES exhibition reflects on how reduced sunlight in winter can disrupt our internal rhythms,lower vitamin D, and trigger Seasonal Affective Disorder, the so-called ”winter depression”. The exhibition explores how light, food, and microbes can support the body during this time, translating scientific insights into experimental interventions and offering inspiration during the darkest months of the year.
All living organisms, from fungi and bacteria to humans, live by internal biological clocks shaped directly or indirectly by light. For humans, this inner rhythm guides key processes in the body. Sleep and wakefulness are regulated by melatonin, which responds to daylight through signals from the eyes. Our mood is supported by serotonin, most of which is produced in the gut with help from our microbiota. And vitamin D, made in the skin or absorbed through foods exposed to UVB light, plays an essential role in supporting both mood and the body’s circadian rhythm. When sunlight decreases during winter, these systems become disrupted: circadian rhythms shift, vitamin D levels drop, and symptoms of
Seasonal Affective Disorder, or the so-called “winter depression”, can be triggered.
WINTER BLUES, reflects on these hidden dialogues, and explores how light, food, and microbes can support the body during seasonal darkness, translating scientific insights into experimental interventions. The result is a laboratory of coping strategies, from light therapy used to mimic daylight, to fermentation supporting gut and mind, to fungi charged with vitamin D. The exhibition aims to offer inspiration and empowerment during the darkest months of the year.
SOLAR CHAIR / WHITE LIGHT THERAPY
mixed media installation
symbiotic culture, aluminium, tin, PVC, translucent plastic, LED light, steel, aluminium
180 × 60 × 70 cm / 45 × 100 × 110 cm
GUT
sculpture
glass, symbiotic culture, steel
17 ⌀ × 27 cm
FERMENTATION STATION
mixed media installation
glass, steel, tin, PVC
74 × 45 × 71 cm / 25 ⌀ × 10 cm / 25 ⌀ × 15 cm
FACE MASK / RED LIGHT THERAPY
mixed media installation
glass, dried symbiotic culture, steel, LED light, steel, aluminium
30 × 45 cm / 180 × 60 cm
VITAMIN D STATION / UVB LIGHT
mixed media installation
acrylic, shiitake mycelium, UVB light, steel, tin, aluminium
31 × 141 × 60 cm / 100 × 60 × 120 cm
This project is supported by:
● Göteborgs Stad
● Saxtorp Svamp
● Norrlands Kombucha
● Arne Lowden, Stockholm University, specializing in Seasonal Affective Disorder and Light Therapy
● Katja Valli, University of Skövde, specializing in sleep and consciousness
● Robert Jan Brummer, University of Örebro, specializing in nutrition, gut, and brain interactions
● Mattias Andersson, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, specializing in the enrichment of fungi with vitaminD
● Saxtorp Svamp
● Norrlands Kombucha
● Arne Lowden, Stockholm University, specializing in Seasonal Affective Disorder and Light Therapy
● Katja Valli, University of Skövde, specializing in sleep and consciousness
● Robert Jan Brummer, University of Örebro, specializing in nutrition, gut, and brain interactions
● Mattias Andersson, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, specializing in the enrichment of fungi with vitaminD
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