The documentary-tinted video works by Swedish artist Jesper Nordahl have for some time been scrutinising the cause and effect of global developments, partly as expressed by the individual, and partly as a manifestation of the societal situation as a whole.

Nordahl’s works suggest that the personally rendered narrative is inextricably interwoven with the complex web that constitutes our common history and our present political circumstances. The artist’s endeavour in time turns into series of interconnected works, not repetitive but deepening the field of investigation, thus becoming more of a train of thoughts elaborating on specific topics.

Nordahl’s ‘Cricket’ is a work consisting of video and text that investigates the game of cricket, ultimately becoming an indirect expression of political action in a global arena. It is a process-implemented project where a first instalment was constituted by Nordahl’s interview with Zimbabwean cricketer Henry Olonga, recorded in Maidstone, England, in August 2003. The second phase of the work is constituted by ‘Jinnah Cricket Club’ (2004), a cricket game filmed in real time in the Stockholm suburb Botkyrka, as well as filmed interviews with individual team members at the side. However, considering that all team players are coming primarily from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, and are seeking for a residence permit in Sweden, this piece, like most of Nordahl’s work, describes a state of political and cultural transition where world politics constitute an element that cannot be disregarded.

(Mats Stjernstedt)