HER STORY - THE COAT
Currently exhibited at Upplandsmuseet, Uppsala, Sweden
June 5, 2026 - January 17, 2027
AN EXHIBITION ABOUT WOMEN'S STORIES, BODIES, AND RESISTANCE
Through art, Nordic mythology, recycling, wearable art, and fashion, the artist Maud Karlsson Lima de Faria creates a powerful and contemporary narrative about women’s experiences — then and now.
THE FOREST SPIRIT (SKOGSRÅET) AS A POINT OF DEPARTURE
HER STORY – THE COAT takes its starting point in the Nordic myth of the forest spirit (skogsrået) and in a historical hypothesis concerning women who were punished and cast out from society. At its core is the story of a woman stripped of her place, her safety, and her voice — yet who still carries strength and presence.
The exhibition brings together women’s history and contemporary questions surrounding the body, identity, sustainability, and human rights. Here, folklore, art, and fashion meet in an immersive and poetic environment where the visitor becomes part of the narrative.
THE COAT AS A SYMBOL OF PROTECTION AND RESISTANCE
At the centre of the exhibition are Maud Karlsson Lima de Faria’s unique coats — created from reused materials, handmade details, and traditional craftsmanship. Each garment carries traces of previous lives while also becoming a symbol of protection, strength, and self-determination.
“I want to create something beautiful for the invisible woman. Something that holds sorrow, strength, and care,” says Maud Karlsson Lima de Faria
The exhibition moves between fashion, art installation, storytelling, and political commentary. Feminism, recycling, and questions of women’s rights are interwoven with mysticism, humor, and gravity.
FOLKLORE AND THE CONTEMPORARY IN DIALOUGE
HER STORY – THE COAT connects contemporary art and fashion with folklore, women’s history, and Nordic mythology. Through the story of the forest spirit, questions emerge concerning women’s conditions, bodies, and agency — questions that remain deeply relevant today.
AN EXHIBITION ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY AND WOMEN'S STORIES
The exhibition rests on a feminist foundation where women’s experiences and stories take centre stage. The concept Her Story has its roots in the feminist movement and aims to make women’s perspectives visible within history.
The project is also deeply rooted in sustainability, focusing on reuse, slow craftsmanship, and investment in women’s work. HER STORY – THE COAT speaks to visitors interested in art, sustainability, women’s history, fashion, craft, and social issues.
The exhibition contains:
Textile coats, paintings, leather coat and back pieces made with repurposed material sewn together with the artist's hair. Also a hair coat in a work-in-progress, hand bound books in leather, hair and hand-made paper as well as photographs of the artist in the leather coat. There is also an 11 min video in a loop.
SALES AND SUPPORTING ANOTHER WOMAN
The coats exhibited are wearable art pieces and for sale.
The handcrafted and tailor-made coats on display start at:
42 000SEK (selected sizes).
New orders from our material in stock are welcome, starting at:
60 000SEK.
A portion of the surplus will always go to supporting other women through microloans - www.kiva.org
More about the Skogsrå-collection, material in stock, how many women we have supported thus far, and our other available collections: www.herstorythecollections.com
Welcome to send a message and we will set up a meeting to begin the process. Questions are welcome! CONTACT
*
When ordering a photograph from the exhibition (below), 50% will go to the organisation: WOMEN TO REMEMBER.
Each print: 3600 SEK
Printed on water color paper (50cm x 70cm).
Shipping is added.
Welcome to send a message and let us know what you would like.
CONTACT
SOME IMAGES FROM THE EXHIBITION
Photo: Martin Testorf/Upplandsmuseet
Photo: Martin Testorf/Upplandsmuseet
VIDEO
A video loop (11 min) is part of the exhibition where one can view and follow the process of making the leather coat sewn by hand with the artist's own hair.
Maud Karlsson Lima de Faria (artist, photo, voice and edit)
Mari Boine (co-creator with the song My Friend of Angel Tribe/ Mu Ustit, Engeliid Sogalas from the album Idjagieđas - In the Hand of the Night)
Coste Apetrea (Pianomusik for Maud)
Siv Ander (dancer)
Mari Boine is one of Norway’s most influential and acclaimed artists. Since the groundbreaking album Gula Gula in the late 1980s, she has given a powerful voice to Sámi culture through a fusion of traditional joik, contemporary music, and global influences. Her work is present in major artistic contexts, including Máret Ánne Sara’s installation at Tate Modern and the film A Death in the Arctic, where she appears and sings Dolla (“Flame”). With sixteen albums, she remains a vital creative force. Her art embodies resilience, cultural pride, and a deep connection to Sámi and contemporary life. Latest album: ALVA.
Coste Apetrea is a guitarist with extensive and wide-ranging experience. He has performed with the group Samla Mammas Manna as well as with musicians Jukka Tolonen, Jojje Wadenius and Stefan Nilsson. Since 1986, he has composed commissioned works spanning genres from classical to rock, for clients including SVT, SR, TV4, TV3, SF Studios, Omega Film and SJ. Coste has extensive experience in copyright matters, both as a producer, musician and composer. He has also compiled and produced a curated audio selection of alternative music groups from 1967 to 1986 for Swedish Radio.
Siv Ander was educated at the Ballet Academy in Stockholm and is a pioneer of Swedish jazz and modern dance, having collaborated with musicians such as Georg Riedel and Jan Johansson. She was part of the early history of the Cullberg Ballet for 17 years, and later worked as a teacher at the Swedish Ballet School for 23 years.
