Martagon lily is a flower that is easy to grow in Swedish gardens. It is thought to have been used to alleviate heart disease and heart pain. Mixing the juice from its bulb with saffron, myrrh and wine was believed to form the basis for an adequate treatment of eye problems.
Krollilja (Martagon lily) is a photographic work, an x-ray image, representing the stem and leaves of a martagon lily. The work is a continuation of the themes Elisabeth Henriksson explored in 2017, as part of her artistic intervention Materia Medica for the Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, where she highlighted nature – the origin of many of our contemporary drugs – and its healing properties, by employing the x-ray technique, which was also used in the hospital.
Artist biography Elisabeth Henriksson
Born and raised in Luleå, Elisabeth Henriksson (b. 1975) works mainly with artistic interventions in public spaces. She graduated from Konstfack University of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm in 2004 with a degree in Ceramics and Glass. She has also studied abroad. Repetitive elements frequently recur in her work. Small and seemingly inconspicuous components that together create something larger than the individual parts.
