Katja Larsson won the competition for the public commission at Masthuggskajen in Gothenburg. The artist will create two bronze sculptures that will be placed on a new peninsula in the district. The "Emigrant monument" is based on the fact that over a million Swedes emigrated from Masthuggskajen in Gothenburg to America in the years 1850–1930.
To Travel on Water Instead of Land consists of two female figures from different eras leaning against an American suitcase. One looks west, towards the unknown land on the other side of the sea. The other sits facing the city, closing his eyes and turning his face upwards to catch the sun.
A Seed Sprouts in a Human Soul depicts a young man crouching over a young plant. He has planted an apple core from his homeland. The titles are from Vilhelm Moberg's emigrant novels and the symbolism of the apple runs like a red thread through the works.
Katja Larsson hopes that the artworks at Masthuggskajen can become a place where people can reflect on the circumstances that forced a fifth of the population to leave the country and that the memory of our own emigration can influence how we talk about migration today.
