Malin Pettersson Öberg

Grey Material (working title) is a video essay in the making, with a point of departure in the book The Triumphal Arch of Mogadishu – Colonial Architecture and Urban Planning by Swedish author and publisher, Pernilla Ståhl (Eddy.se, 2019/2021). The work will be presented in the context of this collaboration. The video examines and reflects upon the symbolism and trajectory of the triumphal arch. What does it signify today? Through a texture of meditative sequences filmed in Paris (2023), Rome (2024), Milan (2026) and (hopefully) Mogadishu, Somalia, and through glimpses of archival research, interviews and literary sources, the video attempts to explore formal, material, psychological and colonial aspects of the triumphal arch. The production is planned in collaboration with Swedish musician and composer Stefan Johansson, post-producer Nils Fridén, Pernilla Ståhl, and possibly with an architect/photographer in Mogadishu.

Pernilla Ståhl’s book The Triumphal Arch of Mogadishu ”examines the urban heritage that European colonial powers left behind in cities such as Kolkata, Tunis, Harare, Swakopmund and Mogadishu. Which ideas formed the basis of the colonial cities? And how does these now independent countries look at this heritage?”

The project has most recently received a project grant from the Swedish Arts Grants Committee (2026), Earlier on it has been granted support from the Helge Ax:son Johnson Foundation (2025) and the Swedish Arts Grants Committee (2024). A first public presentation in hybrid format is planned to take place in Stockholm in 2026, with an immersive spatial installation, performative elements, and a lecture/talk. Early thank you to Pernilla Ståhl, Nurudin Hagi Scikei, Ida Östenberg, Samuel Nicolas, S.I.R. in Rome, Mångkulturellt Centrum in Botkyrka (René Leon Rosales and Edda Manga), Tatiana Letier, The Swedish Embassy in Nairobi (Somali Section), Linda Fregni Nagler and Luca Molinari for invaluable help at this early stage.

More details will follow.

Still from production clip, Malin Pettersson Oberg (2025).
Link to production clip (password: 2025)