Art Can’t Save the World–But it Can Make Us Think in New Ways

This summer, visitors to the American Swedish Institute (ASI) will experience a poetic exploration of belonging, spectatorship, and the visibility of the African experience in Sweden through the works of Swedish artist Salad Hilowle.

Presented in collaboration with The Somali Museum of Minnesota and Berlin-based curator Sagal Farah, Inscriptions is Swedish artist Salad Hilowle’s (b. 1986) first major solo exhibition outside of Sweden.

Explore the Visibility of African Experiences in Sweden Over Time

Hilowle was born in Mogadishu, Somalia, and moved to Gävle in northern Sweden at the age of seven. His work sheds light on the presence of African descendants in Swedish contexts, both historically and in contemporary society, offering a deeper understanding of the Afro-Swedish diaspora. His practice centers on themes of belonging, spectatorship, and the visibility of African experiences in Sweden over time.

Hilowle is a storyteller who utilizes many mediums to explore complex narratives in approachable yet thought provoking ways. This exhibition features video, photography, sculpture, textiles, and performance. Hilowle’s cinematic approach allows him to shift between personal narratives and broader migrant experiences. Through changes in context, scale, color, and material, he invites viewers to examine the familiar with fresh perspectives. By confronting stereotypes and reclaiming identity through humor, memory, and critique, Hilowle’s mixed media installations encourage a communal process of reflection and healing.

“We are all connected through art. Even if you don’t see yourself represented in a museum, you’re still represented, you just only have to dig deeper,” said Hilowle. “There is more to talk about when it comes to the realm of art.”

Integrating artifacts, journal entries, public records, and archival materials, Hilowle reaffirms figures and events often marginalized in Swedish art history. His work fictionalizes plausible narratives, sometimes incorporating himself alongside other protagonists—either as himself, embodying the significance of an Afro-Swedish artist, or as a vessel for stories of those no longer present. His focus is not correcting historical omissions but highlighting the agency and presence of overlooked figures.

Living in Two Worlds

Through his research-based and yet intuitive projects, dealing with experiences of being born in one country and growing up in another, Hilowle gives greater depth and expression to the Afro-Swedish diaspora and to life as an Afro-Swede today. This is emphasized by his inclusion of, and collaboration with, friends, family and relatives in the work.

Using a wide array of artistic means, especially video, photography and installations, Hilowle questions the precarious border between acceptance and rejection. At the same time, he is exploring how his background can be reintroduced into cultural narratives as part of a struggle to proclaim identities, which have been present for a long time but have been erased or concealed. People of African origin have been living and working in Sweden for many centuries, contributing to culture and society at large. And yet they are largely absent in the public discourse, including the arts, with the exception of criminal contexts.

Hilowle is a maker of poetic images, offering a black gaze on cultural artifacts that construct, limit, and attribute meaning around issues of who belongs and who does not — an act of claiming and longing for a space that can become “at home.”

“Rather than focusing on repair, Hilowle shifts the perspective to the importance of centering complex narratives that reflect the diversity of the Afro-Swedish experience. He builds upon it by subtly referencing the works of renowned Swedish artists Karin Larsson and Anders Zorn, as well as members of the black artistic canon such as Carrie Mae Weems and Roy de Carava, ultimately giving homage to participants of our humanity who have multiple (be-)longings.” — Sagal Farah.

Salad Hilowle: Inscriptions – On View June 21-October 26, 2025

The Inscriptions exhibition launches with a special First Look event on June 20, featuring a festive Swedish Midsommar-style dinner with guests of honor Salad Hilowle and curator Sagal Farah. Throughout the summer, special programming complementing the exhibition will foster connections with cultural celebrations, art, and storytelling. On August 3, join ASI and the Somali Museum of Minnesota for a Somali Swedish Cultural Exchange event featuring live music, dance, craft demonstrations, family-friendly activities, and food from the Somali and Swedish Minnesotan communities. The cultural exchange will also include exhibition tours featuring special guests and Somali translators.
For more information, please visit asimn.org.

Exhibition Supporters

Salad Hilowle: Inscriptions is hosted by the American Swedish Institute with support from ASI’s members and donors. The exhibition’s media partner is the Minnesota Public Radio (MPR). This Cultural District Fund program activity is funded, in part, by the Arts & Cultural Affairs Department in the City of Minneapolis. Minnesota artist activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.