Guest accommodation in Paris, Swedish Institute, 4 – 31 January 2027

Jan Carleklev is a sound artist based in Småland, Sweden, whose practice is based on listening. He often says that he sees himself as a pair of large ears with superpowers, focusing attention on voices that are not heard and events that are not seen. New technology and the latest research are important in his work, not for the sake of technology and research, but to highlight relationships. Carleklev’s work is driven by a fascination with human ability, or should we say inability. Through his work, it is clear that plants and animals have capacities that far exceed humans’ narrow perceptions. What does it do to us when we realise that we are not the crown of creation, but creatures who all too often grope around in the dark? Perhaps bats can help us when we stumble around in the shadows of our limitations. Or can the inaudible cries of tomato plants help us to fail and try to understand anew?

Photo: Jan Carleklev

Jan Carleklev

During his stay, Carleklev aims to bring his rural practice into dialogue with urban contexts in Paris, exploring how new forms and meanings can emerge at the intersection of countryside and city, as well as between fact and fiction. The stay provides an opportunity to gather material, identify new connections, and develop artworks that can be extended beyond their rural, site-specific context.

Jan Carleklev holds a Master’s degree from Konstfack and has exhibited at the National Museum in Stockholm, ”Romantiken – ett sätt att se”, 2024. Kalmar Art Museum “Örat mot marken och blicken utåt”, 2023. Carleklev has a long-standing collaboration with Konsthall Norra Kvarken, which has resulted in exhibitions, performances and workshops. Most recently in the exhibition ”Om natten vill jag se med mina öron”, 2025. Carleklev’s background in music and performing arts often shines through in his work. Through research, analysis, speculation, and pure intuition, he creates a kind of sound map that relates to what we see, momentarily, around us. These sound maps can take various forms, from small mechanical woodpeckers and huge wooden sound horns, to resonating sound walks in the forest