Straffet

"Straffet" did not begin as a costume. It started as an unconventional material: a sports net yarn, designed to catch balls on a sports pitch. The yarn was a gift from an admirer to the renowned Swedish street graffiti artist Carolina Falkholt, a dear friend and fellow traveller in the world of bold art. Carolina turned to Maria, handing her the reins of imagination. The sheer scale of the material forced the work into a garage, the only space large enough to contain it.

The costume carries a double meaning: "straffet" as a penalty kick in football, but also as a burden, a self-chosen punishment. With its impressive length and weight, it embodies the idea of something we willingly carry as artists when we choose the controversial and challenging path.

"Straffet" was created for the event Love x Attraction at Spritmuseum in Stockholm, and was also worn at the Human Mannequins exhibition at Female Artists Oslo.