Member of the Swedish Gallery Association
Avalon Hotel Art Collection
Jesper Waldersten & Hasse Persson
In this room, two distinct artistic voices meet. On the left, Jesper Waldersten. On the right, Hasse Persson’s iconic series Say Cheese – Larry.
Waldersten’s work is linguistic and direct. A handwritten text, almost raw in its aesthetic, placed within a digital format. The words carry existential charge — formulated in everyday language yet psychologically precise. Waldersten often operates in the space between the private and the collective, where language functions as a mirror. In the hotel setting, the text becomes an inner monologue within a social environment.
On the opposite wall, we encounter Hasse Persson’s photographic sequence. Say Cheese – Larry presents a repeated portrait gesture — the same face, the same red hat, the same smile — yet with subtle variations. The series moves between humor and construction. What is authentic? What is performance? Persson, one of Sweden’s most internationally active photographers, has for decades explored the surface of identity and the power of staging.
Together, the works create a dialogue. Text and image. Psyche and persona. Introspection and exposure.
In the context of Avalon Hotel — a place of meetings, business, temporary roles and public smiles — this pairing becomes particularly charged. What do we show? What do we conceal? And how much of it is performance?
As part of the Avalon Hotel Art Collection, the installation functions not merely as decoration, but as a quiet yet intelligent commentary on contemporary life. Those who pause will see more than they first expect.