Lars Vilks

Lars Endel Roger Vilks (born 20 June 1946 in Helsingborg, Sweden) is a Swedish artist. He earned a Ph.D. in art history from Lund University in 1987 and worked at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts from 1988 to 1993. From 1997 to 2003 he was a professor in art theory at the Bergen National Academy of the Arts. As an art theorist, Vilks is a proponent of the institutional theory of art.

"Nimis" and "Arx"

Vilks became known in 1980 as the creator of the wooden sculptures "Nimis" and "Arx", which are now located in the Kullaberg nature reserve in Höganäs Municipality, Skåne. In 1996, the small area where the sculptures are located was proclaimed by Vilks as an independent country named Ladonia. "Nimis" was sold to Joseph Beuys as a means to circumvent the Swedish building code laws concerning unlawful building process. The sculpture of Nimis is now owned by concept artist Christo, the legal document documenting the sale is on display at the Swedish Museum of Sketches. The document consists of a piece of drift wood formerly a part of the sculpture.

Muhammad drawings controversy

In 2007, Vilks was embroiled in an international controversy after he made a series of drawings depicting the Islamic prophet Muhammad as a roundabout dog. The drawings were initially intended to be shown at a local art exhibition in the small town of Tällerud in Värmland, Sweden, in July 2007, but were removed from the exhibition by the organizers, citing security concerns and fear of violence from radical Islamists, shortly before its opening. [cite news |first=Bosse |last=Brink |title=Teckningar på Muhammed togs bort |url=http://www.svd.se/dynamiskt/inrikes/did_16316985.asp |publisher=Svenska Dagbladet |language=Swedish |date=2007-07-21 |accessdate=2007-08-27] Following the first refusal, Vilks submitted the drawings to several other art galleries in Sweden, including the distinguished Gerlesborg School of Fine Art in Bohuslän where Vilks is a frequent lecturer, but all declined to show the drawings for the same reason.

The controversy gained international attention after the Örebro-based regional newspaper "Nerikes Allehanda" published one of the drawings on August 18 to illustrate an editorial on self-censorship and freedom of religion.cite news |first=Lars |last=Ströman |title=Rätten att förlöjliga en religion |url=http://www.na.se/artikel.asp?intId=1209627 |publisher=Nerikes Allehanda |language=Swedish |date=2007-08-18 |accessdate=2007-08-31 [http://www.na.se/artikel.asp?intId=1209676 English translation] ] While several other leading Swedish newspapers had published the drawings at this time, this publication led to protests from Muslim organizations in Sweden as well as condemnations from several foreign governments including Irancite news |title=Iran protests over Swedish Muhammad cartoon |url=http://www.thelocal.se/8305/20070827/ |publisher=Agence France-Presse |date=2007-08-27 |accessdate=2007-08-27] , Pakistancite press release |title=PAKISTAN CONDEMNS THE PUBLICATION OF OFFENSIVE SKETCH IN SWEDEN |publisher=Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs |date=2007-08-30 |url=http://www.mofa.gov.pk/Press_Releases/2007/Aug/PR_234_07.htm |accessdate=2007-08-31] , Afghanistancite news |first=Sayed |last=Salahuddin |title=Indignant Afghanistan slams Prophet Mohammad sketch |url=http://in.reuters.com/article/SouthAsiaNews/idINIndia-29281220070901 |publisher=Reuters |date=2007-09-01 |accessdate=2007-09-09] , Egyptcite news |first=Gwladys |last=Fouché |title=Egypt wades into Swedish cartoons row |url=http://media.guardian.co.uk/presspublishing/story/0,,2161595,00.html |publisher=The Guardian |date=2007-09-03 |accessdate=2007-09-09] and Jordancite news |title=Jordan condemns new Swedish Mohammed cartoon |url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070903/wl_mideast_afp/jordanswedenislam_070903124623 |publisher=Agence France-Presse |date=2007-09-03 |accessdate=2007-09-09] , as well as by the inter-governmental Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), which also called for the Swedish government to take "punitive actions" against Vilks.cite press release |title=The Secretary General strongly condemned the publishing of blasphemous caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) by Swedish artist |publisher=Organization of the Islamic Conference |date=2007-08-30 |url=http://www.oic-oci.org/press/English/2007/08/caricatur.htm |accessdate=2007-09-09] Following this controversy, Vilks has been forced to live under police protection after having received several death threats, including a statement by the al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq which has offered up to $150,000 for his assassination. [cite news |first=Erik |last=Scherlund |title=Lars Vilks hotad till livet |url=http://tv4nyheterna.se/1.163969/nyheter/2007/08/31/lars_vilks_hotad_till_livet |publisher=TV4Nyheterna |language=Swedish |date=2007-08-31 |accessdate=2007-09-12] [cite news |title=Vilks to get police protection |url=http://www.thelocal.se/8507/20070916/ |publisher=Tidningarnas Telegrambyrå/The Local |date=2007-09-16 |accessdate=2007-09-16] [cite news |title=Bounty set over Prophet cartoon |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6996553.stm|publisher=BBC News |date=2007-09-15 |accessdate=2007-09-15]

Writings

* (1987) "Konst och konster" (in Swedish; dissertation), Malmö: Wedgepress & Cheese, ISBN 91-85752-57-6.
* (1993) "Att läsa Arx" (in Swedish), Nora: Nya Doxa, ISBN 91-88248-43-7.
* (1993) "Arx : en bok om det outsägliga" (in Swedish), Nora: Nya Doxa, ISBN 91-88248-47-X.
* (1994) "Nimis och Arx" (in Swedish), Nora: Nya Doxa, ISBN 91-88248-50-X.
* (1995) "Konstteori : kameler går på vatten" (in Swedish), Nora: Nya Doxa, ISBN 91-88248-94-1.
* (1999) "Det konstnärliga uppdraget? : en historia om konsthistoria, kontextkonst och det metafysiska överskottet" (in Swedish), Nora: Nya Doxa, ISBN 91-578-0331-5.
* (2002) "T.O.A. : [teori om allting] " (in Swedish), Malmö: Galleri 21, ISBN 91-631-2330-4.
* (2003) "Myndigheterna som konstnärligt material : den långa historien om Nimis, Arx, Omfalos och Ladonien" (in Swedish), Nora: Nya Doxa, ISBN 91-578-0429-X (hardback).
* (2004) "Spartips : 34 tips för konstnärer, kommuner, vissa obemedlade samt underbetalda" (in Swedish), Nora: Nya Doxa, ISBN 91-578-0451-6.
* (2005) "Hur man blir samtidskonstnär på tre dagar : handbok med teori" (in Swedish; co-author: Martin Schibli), Nora: Nya Doxa, ISBN 91-578-0459-1.

References

External links

* [http://www.vilks.net/ Lars Vilks' weblog]
* [http://www.ladonia.net/ Ladonia]
* [http://www.ladonia.net/nimis_arx/ Nimis and Arx]
* [http://www.svenskakonstnarer.se/start/plus_artist.php?chr=22&aid=11 Profile at Svenska konstnärer]
* [http://dogmafreeamerica.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=338804# Dogma Free America podcast interview with Lars Vilks]

Persondata
NAME=Vilks, Lars
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Vilks, Lars Endel Roger (full name)
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Artist
DATE OF BIRTH=20 June 1946
PLACE OF BIRTH=Helsingborg, Sweden
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=