Art, Spatiality and the Relation Between Them - An analysis of Maria Friberg’s Somewhere else (1998) at Stockholm School of Economics, The Thiel Gallery and The Modern Museum

The following essay examines how a specific work of art can change depending on the surroundings of where it’s displayed and how that same piece of art, in turn, can change its surroundings. These questions are explored through semiotic analysis backed up by theories of narratology, contextuality and myths. The art work in question is Maria Friberg’s Somewhere else (1998), a photograph taken below a table depicting five pairs of legs, dressed in grey suit pants, widely spread apart in a so-called “man spread” manor. Somewhere else (1998) is one of Friberg's most famous photographs and has been displayed multiple times all around the world. For this essay however, three places in Stockholm will be compared. These are the lived spaces Stockholm School of Economics - a learning space, The Thiel gallery - a historical gallery space, and The Modern museum - a white cube museum.