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Anna Odell

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Anna Odell
Born (1973-10-03) 3 October 1973 (age 51)
NationalitySwedish
EducationGerlesborgsschool
Alma materKonstfack University of Arts, Crafts and Design
Notable workThe Reunion
AwardsTwo Guldbaggen Awards

Anna Carolina Odell (born 3 October 1973) is a Swedish artist and film director. She won two Guldbaggen Award for in 2014 for her film The Reunion in the categories Best Film and Best Screenplay. In 2009, her film Okänd, kvinna 2009-349701 received a lot of attention as it includes a faked suicide attempt on Liljeholmsbron in Stockholm. Both films have been nominated and presented at the Venice Biennale Film Festival. She is one of the groundbreaking artists in the emerging psycho-social art scene.

Early life

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Odell studied at the Gerlesborgsschool in Tanum, Konstfack University of Arts, Crafts and Design and at Kungliga Konsthögskolan in Stockholm.[1]

Career and controversy

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The film Okänd, kvinna 2009-349701 (English: Unknown, woman 2009-349701) was Odell's examination work at Konstfack.[2] The art film was part of Konstfack's exhibition for 2009 and was shown also the same year at Kalmars Konstmuseum.[3] It was made to reconstruct Odell's own psychological breakdown in 1995, not as therapy but to test the power structures within the healthcare system and Swedish society's views on mental illness.[4]

The recording of the art film led to controversy. On 21 January 2009 Odell staged a suicide attempt, psychological breakdown and psychosis on Liljeholmsbron in Stockholm.[5][6] Police took her to a psychiatric ER at St Görans Hospital in Stockholm.[7] The day after she revealed to the staff at the hospital that she had faked her mental illness for her film.[8]

Odell's actions during the filming were criticized by David Eberhard, at the time head of the hospital.[9] Odell was also criticized for using resources at the hospital that could have been used on people seeking help for genuine mental health conditions that same night.[10] She was accused of violent resistance to police arrest, and for making a false alarm.[11] The court found Odell guilty and imposed a 2500 SEK fine on her.[12] The sentence was reduced because the courts thought she had no criminal intent in her actions.[13] She did not appeal the sentence.[14]

In 2013 Odell made her directorial debut with the film The Reunion. The film brings up the subjects of bullying, power structures in the society and unhealthy hierarchy in schools.[15] Odell brought a lot of her own experiences from her own school time, and also the experiences from her school reunion.[16] The film had its premiere at the Venice Film Festival that year. The film had its Swedish premiere on 15 November 2013 and received positive reviews. Återträffen won two Guldbagge Awards for Best Film and Best Screenplay.[17]

In 2016, she made a voice role in the animated short film ”Amalimbo" by Juan Pablo Libossart, the film was nominated in the short film category at the 2016 Venice Film Festival.[18]

In 2018, Odell directed and played one of the leading roles in a film starring herself as a character, called X & Y, along with co-stars Mikael Persbrandt and Shanti Roney.[19][20] The film was filmed in Trollhättan.[21][20]

In 2024, Odell exhibited her solo exhibition - Rekonstruktion - Psyket - at Cecilia Hillströms Galleri revolving around her earlier days at a psychiatric hospital. The exhibition mainly consists of her video art piece by the same title as the exhibition but also includes photo work.[22]

Psycho-Social Art

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Okänd, kvinna 2009-349701 has been seen as a ground-breaking example of psycho-social art in which a bisociative discourse is used to alter the art ”space” and to resolve complicated notions normally associated with alternative prospects - let it be psychiatry, sexuality (for ex. 'Mattress Performance (Carry That Weigh)'), teology (for ex. 'The World Is Cyclical'), comedy ('Borderline') et.c.[23]

Filmography

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References

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  1. ^ "Flera skandaler på konstskolor". Dagens Nyheter. 31 May 2011. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  2. ^ "Did Anna Odell's faked psychosis have any artistic merit?". The Local. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  3. ^ "Anna Odell till Kalmar konstmuseum", Barometern Oskarshamns-Tidningen, archived from the original on 15 June 2009, retrieved 26 September 2014
  4. ^ ""Anna Odell ger alla psykiskt sjuka hopp" – Brännpunkt". Svenska Dagbladet. Archived from the original on 1 July 2013. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  5. ^ "Anna Odell: "Vad är det egentligen alla är så rädda för?"". Dagens Nyheter. 6 September 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  6. ^ "Anna Odell: "Jag tror att jag på bron hittade tillbaka"". Dagens Nyheter. 20 September 2009. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  7. ^ "Anna Odell spelade sig själv". Dagens Nyheter. Archived from the original on 4 October 2009. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  8. ^ "Odell: "Jag har inte skadat psykvården"". Svenska Dagbladet. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  9. ^ Dagens Nyheter (29 January 2009). "Överläkaren David Eberhard: "Konstfackseleven borde klippa sig och skaffa sig ett jobb"" (Press release). Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  10. ^ "Anna Odell spelade sig själv". Dagens Nyheter. 8 May 2009. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  11. ^ "'Psychotic' art student charged for fake suicide". The Local. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  12. ^ "Anna Odell: Personlig assistans hjalpte mig tillbaka". Foraldrakraft. Archived from the original on 15 March 2015. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
  13. ^ "Odell dömd till dagsböter". Dagens Nyheter. Archived from the original on 4 October 2009. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  14. ^ "Anna Odell överklagar inte". Dagens Nyheter. 21 September 2009. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  15. ^ Odell: Förlorade tron på mig själv och blev en tönt. Sveriges Television. 14 November 2013. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  16. ^ "Tidningen Kulturen – nyhetstidning med kulturell prägel – Film: Återträffen; Regi och manus: Anna Odell". Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  17. ^ "Anna Odells baggeladdade kväll". Dagens Nyheter. 20 January 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  18. ^ "Anna Odell tillbaka i Venedig – som tecknad figur - Filmbloggen". Aftonbladet. 5 September 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  19. ^ "Anna Odell: Jag har alltid varit rädd för män som är väldigt mycket män - DN.SE". Dagens Nyheter. 7 December 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  20. ^ a b "Anna Odell: "Jag har ju varit känd som den galna konstnären"". Arbetarbladet. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  21. ^ Nyheter, SVT (23 November 2017). "Anna Odell gör film med Mikael Persbrandt". Sveriges Television. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  22. ^ Johansson, Hanna (14 January 2024). "Odell gör ett thrillerliknande återbesök hos psykiatrin". Svenska Dagbladet - Kultur.
  23. ^ Belgrave, Adam (27 March 2017). "Psycho-Social Art - Underpinnings of a New Art Order". Forum: ArtReview.
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