Salad Hilowle: Inscriptions

Date/Time:
Sunday, August 17, 2025
10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Offer:
General Admission for 2 people — This pass allows two people to experience "Salad Hilowle: Inscriptions" at the American Swedish Institute. It also grants access to the Turnblad Mansion, additional exhibitions, the Museum Store, and FIKA Cafe. Note that FIKA Cafe does not accept reservations.

Event Details:

Salad Hilowle: Inscriptions

Experience moving image, sound, and sculpture by internationally acclaimed Swedish artist Salad Hilowle as a poetic exploration of belonging, spectatorship, and the visibility of the African experience in Sweden over time.

Hilowle's work uncovers and illuminates the presence of African descendants in Swedish contexts, both historically and in contemporary society, offering deeper insgiht into the Afro-Swedish diaspora and the complexity of Afro-Sewdish experiences. Born in Somalia, Hilowle moved from Mogadishu to Gävle, Sweden, at the age of seven.

The exhibition features video, photography, sculpture, textiles, and performance. Hilowle's cinematic approach to art-making allows him to seamlessly move between the micro perspective of a first-hand narrative and the broader view of the migrant experience. Through shifts in context, scale, color, and material, Hilowle invites the viewer to examine the familiar as if for the very first time.

He synthesizes artifacts, private journal entries, public records, and other archival materials into works that reaffirm figures and events often pushed into the margins of Swedish art history. He fictionalizes plausible narratives, sometimes placing himself alongside other protagonists, either as himself - carrying the meaning his body and presence bring as an Afro-Swedish artist - or lending his figure to embody the stories of those no longer with us. His primary goal is to redirect the viewer's focus toward the agency and presence of figures who were, and often still are, overlooked, rather than to dwell on the initial error of their omission.

Hilowle's first major solo exhibition outside of Sweden is a collaboration between the American Swedish Institute and The Somlai Museum, curated by Berlin-based curator Sagal Farah.

Learn more at asimn.org.

Exhibition Supporters
Salad Hilowle: Inscriptions is hosted at the American Swedish Institute with support from ASI's members and donors. The exhibition's media partner is the Minnesota Public Radio (MPR). This Cultural District Fund program activity is funded, in part, by the Arts & Cultural Affairs Department in the City of Minneapolis. Minnesota artist activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

This exhibition ends on October 26, 2025

Location:
American Swedish Institute
2600 Park Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55407

Hours of Operation:
Museum (Turnblad Mansion & Osher Gallery) and Museum Store:
Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 10 am - 4 pm
Wednesday: 10 am - 4 pm
Thursday: 10 am - 8 pm
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday: 10 am - 4 pm

**ASI is free after 3 pm every Thursday
FIKA Café:
Monday and Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday: 10 am - 3 pm
Thursday: 10 am - 8 pm
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday: 10 am - 4 pm
Lunch Service: 11 am - 3 pm
Counter Service: 10 am - 4 pm, The Counter will offer the beverage menu during non-serving hours.

The Museum, Cafe, and Store are closed New Years Day, 4th of July, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and December 26.

Parking Information:
Free parking is available in our surface parking lot, located at 27th Street and Park Avenue. Accessible parking is available on the northeast side of the parking lot. Free street parking is readily available on Park Avenue, Portland Avenue and 27th Street.

Accessibility Information:
ASI offers accessible parking, restrooms, listening amplification, and elevator service. Manual wheelchairs are available on request. Sign language interpreters can be arranged with notice and certified service animals are welcome. For more information, call 612-871-4907.

Organization Details:

Nearly 90 years ago, a new immigrant to Minnesota had a vision to create a vibrant cultural gathering place. Established in 1929, ASI has evolved into a dynamic arts and cultural center that welcomes all people to gather and share experiences around themes of culture, migration, the environment, and the arts; informed by enduring links to Sweden. From the gallery spaces, featuring local and international exhibitions, to the lively programming set in the historic Turnblad Mansion, to the shop, and award winning restaurant and café – there are many ways to see yourself at ASI and be part of this story.

Reserve a Pass

Offer: General Admission for 2 people — This pass allows two people to experience "Salad Hilowle: Inscriptions" at the American Swedish Institute. It also grants access to the Turnblad Mansion, additional exhibitions, the Museum Store, and FIKA Cafe. Note that FIKA Cafe does not accept reservations.

Date/Time: Sunday, August 17, 2025 10:00 am

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