Simon Ferner: Artist in residence

The focus of Simon Ferner’s residency at Kin is the history of the LAMCO mining project, the Liberian American Swedish Mining Company, which began in 1957 when the Swedish state became the sole owner of LKAB after buying out Grängesbergsbolaget from the company. With the funds earned from the deal, a Swedish mining project was launched in Liberia in 1963 under the leadership of Grängesbergsbolaget and several other Swedish companies. Soon thereafter, a community emerged in the rainforest at the foot of Mount Nimba, with homes, shops, and a community center built using Swedish cement. During the 1960s and 1970s, the Swedish-owned mine became one of the world’s largest producers of iron ore before it was closed down in 1989, the same year as the mine in Grängesberg.

In a search for what remained, Simon Ferner—who grew up in the aftermath of the closure of the Grängesberg mine—has assembled an extensive collection of material related to the Swedish companies’ large-scale mining projects and colonial claims in Liberia, as well as the Grängesberg company’s parallel mining operations in Bergslagen. In the Slagg project, he explores how these remains can tell a story that has in many ways been forgotten. By bringing these materials together, historical connections, parallels, and reflections emerge, forming a broader narrative about what was left behind when the industries withdrew and mining ceased.

The scattered geographies meet in a shared history where the slag rises to the surface and forms new stories that bear witness to both the present and the memory of these places. Simon Ferner’s artistic practice revolves around forgotten and hidden parts of different histories. Through research in archives, libraries and museum collections, unexplored stories are linked and mapped through site-specific investigations. His work raises questions about how these places carry their history and what traces remain today. Ferner trained at the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm and, since 2020, has been running the Arkiv S project, which maps racist violence in Sweden, with a particular focus on the 1990s. He has previously exhibited at Vallentuna Kulturhus, Lunds Konsthall, Skånes Konstförening, and Härnösands Konsthall, as well as in Malmö through the Antirasistisk Monument project.

Artists in residence 2026

In 2026, artists Bernd Krauß, Mikhail Tolmachev, Rehaf Al Batniji, Simon Ferner, Eleonora Edreva, and Oyjon Khayrullaeva will spend time in Kiruna and Norrbotten conducting research, producing work, and collaborating on upcoming exhibitions and projects at Kin.

Bernd Krauß is developing his solo exhibition at the Art Workshop and will also lead the art camp during the winter break. Mikhail Tolmachev is continuing his work on the multi-year project Borg Mesch: A Photographer in Sápmi during the Colonial Period and is participating in the exhibition The Use of Photography: Borg Mesch, Hans-Olof Utsi, and Mikhail Tolmachev. Rehaf Al Batniji is preparing to participate in a group exhibition and conducting new research during his stay.

Simon Ferner is continuing his long-term work on mining history and the interlinked stories of LKAB in Kiruna, Grängesberg, and LAMCO in Liberia. Eleonora Edreva and Oyjon Khayrullaeva are focusing on local craft and knowledge traditions, with a particular interest in plant dyeing, health, and folk medicine, as part of their contributions to upcoming group exhibitions.

Read more about all the artists in residence at Kin 2026 here.

Image 1: Lunch, Buchanan, Liberia (2022)
Image 2: Workers' accommodation, Yekepa, Liberia (2022)
Image 3: Worker at LAMCO, Nimba, Liberia (1963)