Art

The Ocean in the Forest – A Daring Exhibition at Wanås Sculpture Park text Natalia Muntean Located in the Österlen region of Sweden, Wanås Sculpture Park has long been celebrated as a space where art and nature merge. This year, the park welcomes the creations of four artists under the umbrella of a daring and thought-provoking exhibition. Titled The Ocean in the Forest, the exhibition gathers works by Lavanya Mani, Youmna Chlala, Evan Ifekoya, and Eduardo Navarro. Through their immersive works, the artists inspire visitors to explore collective power, fantasy, and whimsy through stories and healing sounds. By juxtaposing the vastness of the ocean with the intimacy of the forest, they transform Wanås Sculpture Park into a playground where the boundaries between land and sea, reality and imagination are blurred. The Ocean in the Forest is on display until November 4 th, 2024. This Feeling, Oceanic by Youmna Chlala (Lebanon)“The colour changes depending on the surroundings and depending on from where you observe it,” says Youmna Chlala about “This Feeling, Oceanic”, her part of the group exhibition. The Lebanese-American artist digs into her well of personal memories and weaves them with historical events in order to reflect on her relationship to the forest and the ocean, which she sees as a portal connecting us to an ancient past and a future where anything could be possible. Beirut, the ever-moving blue horizon line and forests that live under the sea are all intertwined in the narrative, site-specific art installation, where sun lounge chairs create a drawing in the landscape. Through her installation, the artist invites us to sit, listen and try to paint the future with our imagination. Apo Ifa for the High Heart and Warrior Spirit by Evan Ifekoya (Nigeria)Sound, stillness, scents, and intentional space are used by Evan Ifekoya to delve into embodiment through ancestral and intuitive wisdom. In a similar way to the earth’s surface, humans are predominantly water, and the artist believes that ocean waves symbolise the wisdom we possess within our emotions. At Wanås, the Nigerian-born and London-based artist has transformed a historical private “tea pavilion” and the rhododendron passage leading up to it into a ceremonial space. By making architectural adjustments and incorporating a diverse soundscape including rattles, ocean waves and guided narration, the artist has created an immersive environment that affects the body’s vibration frequencies, encouraging exertion, stillness, and presence. For Ifekoya, the Apo Ifa embodies the necessary tools for “holding space” by transforming environments to encourage people to arrive—to be present emotionally, mentally, and physically. I found a Forest at the Bottom of the Ocean by Eduardo Navarro (Argentina)An iridescent jellyfish enveloping a large old tree is Eduardo Navarro’s manner of exploring how non-human beings interact and feel in the world and the artist’s contribution to the forest at Wanås. With an evolutionary history dating back 500 million years, jellyfish are not only 95% water, but they are also one of the oldest creatures to roam the earth. This fact has intrigued the Argentinian artist, whoimagines jellyfish to exist outside of evolutionary time, in complete harmony with the forest, while also emphasizing that we humans have also evolved from fish-like beings.Visitors to the forest are invited to play the chimes attached to the creature’s tentacles in an improvisational manner, which transforms the jellyfish’s elastic movement into harmonic waves of sound. This creates a sense of unity with the forest, ocean, oneself, and all other living beings, both human and non-human. Fables by Lavanya Mani (India)Titled Fables, Lavanya Mani’s piece for the group exhibition puzzle offers a reinterpretation of a famous painting by Miskin, a court painter during the Mughal Empire in 17th-century India. The Ark: Animals of the World Complain to the Raven (after Miskin) represents a modern version of Noah’s Ark, where birds, animals and plants gather without humans. Created specifically for this exhibition, Mani’s work allows for the wind, clouds and animals to take centre stage, connecting historical apocalyptic visions with modern concerns about climate change and protecting all life forms. Born and based in India, Mani turns to the mythological and historical when it comes to inspiration for her art, drawing from ancient Indian fables, Medieval manuscripts or biblical accounts. Using traditional craft techniques, Mani uses natural pigments in her work, obtaining those from turmeric, madder root or pomegranate peel. Her works explore how stories, visual culture, and goods, such as spices, dyes, textiles, and diseases, travelled through colonial trade routes, influencing the economics of imperialism in India.

Johanna Karlsson “My Art Comes From a Personal Need to Express Myself” text Natalia Muntean To kick off Stockholm Art Week, we have asked a number of interesting people from the city’s art scene questions to explore their relationship to art and the city. Stockholm-based artist, Johanna Karlsson, creates dioramas depicting landscapes in a variety of different materials, including copper wire, silver wire, paper, textiles, pigment and plaster. She chooses to focus on the sculpture rather than the colours in her works, letting the materials speak for themselves. Karlsson creates precise depictions of nature, integrating cultural elements to form a landscape where personal interpretation fuses with natural science. Her works can be found in collections such as he Moderna Museet in Stockholm, Sundsvall Museum in Sweden, and the Olbricht Collection in Germany.  What is the story behind your exhibition during Stockholm Art Week? I have wanted to create reliefs for a long time. When I’ve made images, I’ve often wanted to add some other materials like paper pulp or sand. I enjoy it when the materials create shadows and texture. For these reliefs, I also used soldered details of copper wire and let them extend further from the surface. It’s a middle ground between the sculptures and images I’ve created before. What inspired you to become an artist, and how has your artistic journey evolved? I’ve always made things with my hands; drawn and built with various materials. I still use many of the same materials as when I was young, such as paper, glue, threads and steel wire. What is your creative process like, and how do you approach developing new ideas and concepts for your work?I think it’s a process that I just have to follow, even if it’s with resistance and effort. It feels very much like one thing leads to another, that what I’m doing now builds on what I did before. It doesn’t always get better, but each step might still have a purpose and be important in some way. What role do you think art plays in society, and how do you see your work contributing to or challenging societal norms?I’m certain that art is an essential part of society, but it is nothing that affects my working process. I don’t think my art has a specific agenda or purpose. It is rather something that comes from a personal need to express myself. This does not mean that I am not interested in how the audience perceives and interprets what I do. Are there any particular themes or subjects that consistently appear in your work, and if so, what draws you to them?It’s almost always nature that inspires me. Both the grand and the small, with all the details. It’s difficult to know why one gets drawn to certain motifs, but I think it’s some kind of atmosphere or a memory. Can you share a favourite spot in Stockholm where you go to find inspiration or recharge creatively? Sometimes, when it’s very difficult to get started working in the studio, I go to a library and sit and flip through books. It can be art books, biographies, poetry, or anything that gives new impressions. I also visit galleries and museums. Can you share a story about a specific neighbourhood in Stockholm that holds personal significance to you as an artist?I wander around where I live, formerly in Södermalm and now in Hökarängen and around Gullmarsplan by our allotment garden. I often look at slightly dull, unkempt places but where I still see something I find beautiful. In recent years, Högdalstoppen has been a favourite. Is there a Swedish artist who you find inspirational?There are many Swedish artists that inspire me now, but perhaps the most important was my grandfather, Algot. He had a furniture workshop, but in his later years, he began to draw. In the evenings, he sat in the workshop’s lunchroom and made meticulous pencil drawings. I enjoyed visiting him there and seeing how the drawing grew day by day. What is your favourite bar or restaurant in Stockholm?I don’t go out very often, but I enjoy having coffee at BAK in Hökarängen. Scene XXXVII, 2022 Plaster, paper, pigment, metal wire, oak and artglass 50 x 62 x 30 cm (JK2211) photography Nora Bencivenni, Galleri Magnus Karlsson

Yves Scherer: “Being an Artist Is About Showing up Every Day” text Natalia Muntean To kick off Stockholm Art Week, we have asked a number of interesting people from the city’s art scene questions to explore their relationship to art and the city. Born in Switzerland, Yves Scherer’s work explores identity through sculptures, lenticular prints, and installations that blend autobiographies, collective memories, and fan fiction, blurring the line between reality and virtuality. His art deals with questions of the self, celebrity, and mediated realities. Mainly working in sculpture and installation, he creates immersive environments that offer a romantic perspective on the self and everyday life. What is the story behind your exhibition during Stockholm Art Week?I’m presenting a group of lenticular works under the title “AS IT IS IN HEAVEN”. The works are a combination of personal photographs with appropriated images from a Mario Sorrenti book depicting Kate Moss when she was a young girl and his girlfriend. I hand-coloured these images and using a technology of my own development now present them in combination with flower photographs that I took on my analogue camera in my private life and travels. What inspired you to become an artist, and how has your artistic journey evolved?My first interest was in literature and books. Growing up in a small village, these things first opened up the wider world to me. After this, my interest in visual art developed in Berlin, professionalized a bit in London and now I think has matured in New York. What is your creative process like, and how do you approach developing new ideas and concepts for your work?I think it’s just about showing up every day and trying to do it better than the day before. My practice has always been quite broad so getting older I focus more on narrowing it down and refining things. With this, the threshold for starting new things has become higher also, it’s hard to do anything really well so you don’t want to spread it too thin. Are there any particular themes or subjects that consistently appear in your work, and if so, what draws you to them?I have some formal interests such as in figurative sculpture or a certain kind of painting, and in terms of content, I have long been interested in mixing public figures such as celebrities with experiences in my own life to create a sort of confusion of realities or fan fiction. Is there a Swedish artist who you find inspirational?I’m looking forward to visiting the Carl Eldhs museum and I like the young artist EvelinaHägglund.

Jorunn Hancke øGstad: Art Is the Heartbeat of Society text Natalia Muntean To kick off Stockholm Art Week, we have asked several interesting people from the city’s art scene questions to explore their relationship to art and the city. Originally from Norway, Jorunn Hancke Øgstad is a contemporary artist whose work examines and questions the rhetoric of abstract art in paintings and sculptures. She employs, among other things, both traditional and non-traditional materials such as textile dye, epoxy, and plastic on unprepared canvases to examine the properties of these materials, imitating the processes of water painting, spray painting and printing. She draws inspiration from female contemporary artists and references art movements such as pop art and abstract expressionism.   What inspired you to become an artist, and how has your artistic journey evolved?My path to becoming an artist has been rich and shaped by a variety of influences. Creativity was always my thing, sparked by my early days soaking up music. Early on I learned to make sense of abstract languages through playing the piano. As a kid, I dabbled in everything, music, writing, acting, and dancing. Initially, I figured filmmaking would be the perfect blend of my interests, but as I ventured down that road, I felt pulled towards art academies. They seemed less conventional, and their emphasis on freedom and non-hierarchical creative processes appealed to me. I spent years in my studio after graduating from the academy, trying out different things and putting in the hours to figure out my direction before sharing my work more widely. Eventually, things started to click. Having a kid played a role—I had to manage my time better, which meant less time second-guessing myself and more time creating. I began collaborating with the gallery VI, VII in Oslo back in 2019, and it’s been a really interesting journey so far. portraits: courtesy of Kapitalphotography Ole Berg-Rusten/NTB What is your creative process like, and how do you approach developing new ideas and concepts for your work? When it comes to painting, I like to have a rough plan in mind but also allow the materials to guide their own narrative and take me in unexpected directions. As for exhibitions, I take cues from the space and context itself and let that shape the concepts. My personal experiences also seep into my work, although those stories are mostly just for me. What role do you think art plays in society, and how do you see your work contributing to or challenging societal norms? The big question! I believe art is essential – it’s like the heartbeat of society, and inconceivable to imagine a world without culture. I’ve been giving a lot of thought lately to how art fits into societal change and the broader pushback against growing authoritarianism. While I don’t think art has to be explicitly political to make a difference, I firmly believe that art, by its very nature, challenges authoritarian ideologies. However, there is this tricky dance with the commercial side of art, and we need to talk more about if and how art can effect change within the confines of a capitalist trading system. I place my faith in the power of inclusive communities rooted in humanistic values, the kind that you often find in art circles, and I draw inspiration from the collective wisdom of my peers. On a brighter note, when you dive into art, you’re basically imagining what our society could or should look like, and the world definitely needs more of that. For me, there are some core values in art that are important, and we should protect and promote them.

Matt Belk: I Think Artists Are Professional Observers text Natalia Muntean To kick off Stockholm Art Week, we have asked a number of interesting people from the city’s art scene questions to explore their relationship to art and the city.Matt Belk is a contemporary wildlife painter combining the outdoor country lifestyle with modern contemporary aesthetics. Born in 1988 in Omaha, Nebraska, his artwork involves the constant use of tape, cutting of shapes with an X-Acto blade, and airbrushing with inventive new techniques to create a seemingly digital graphic representation of the laws of nature. He is currently participating in an art residency program based in Sweden. What is the story behind your exhibition during Stockholm Art Week?The title of this show is “From Nebraska to Sweden” and it’s about showing where I’m from in Nebraska, to my stay in Sweden the past 4 months. This show depicts so many new things I’ve seen in Sweden, exploring all the different wildlife, flora and fauna – mainly on the archipelago island of Blidö, but I’ve also been so fortunate to be able to travel further south to friends’ homes in Sperlingsholm, Erstavik and Borrestad and discovered different terrains from each unique new place I went, and then unfold what I saw and experienced in my work for this exhibition.   What inspired you to become an artist, and how has your artistic journey evolved?My mom was an artist when I was young and I was so amazed watching her draw, I remember looking at her drawing and thinking that it was a magic trick. From the inspiration of my mom, I started drawing for many years, mostly figuratively and then I started to experiment with oils, until just a few years ago my dad bought me an airbrush. I thought I would try it out once and probably never use it again, but here I am 4 years later – and now all I use is airbrush and all I paint is nature, for now. What is your creative process like, and how do you approach developing new ideas and concepts for your work?My process is observation, I think artists are professional observers. What really excites me is travelling to new places and exploring new areas, all of the unique plants, birds, animals and landscapes. That’s what is inspiring to me about nature, it becomes an adventure in itself that is then linked to the art. My picture-building process is to go between an iPad, a sketchbook and a bunch of magazines or photos I’ve taken to Xacto blades and airbrush on layered gesso canvas What role do you think art plays in society, and how do you see your work contributing to or challenging societal norms? I can only speak for myself, who I am as an artist, and my duty as an artist – I believe my calling or my job as an artist is to create work that inspires others, to create work that everyone anywhere can get something from – that isn’t off-putting to anyone. Really, I want to see kids be able to take something from my art, and that it could push them towards exploring the arts too. Are there any themes or subjects that consistently appear in your work, and if so, what draws you to them?I grew up hunting, so there is always some aspect or element about hunting in my works. Hunting is a very ritualistic and grounding thing for me. Growing up, watching the dogs hunt was even more enjoyable than hunting itself. It’s what I know and what I want to show and explore without being off-putting towards anyone, so I want to be clever about how it’s presented, Trojan horse, the concept to my art in a way. Can you share a favourite spot in Stockholm where you go to find inspiration or recharge creatively?One of my favourite things to do since being here is hopping on a bus on Blidö, especially when I need to do some “idea-shopping”. I found that it was the perfect way to map out my next paintings, and a great place for me to think. I took the buses all over Bildo, most often ending up in Norrtälje where I’d spend some time at the ICA Flygfyren Bistro. Can you share a story about a specific neighbourhood in Stockholm that holds personal significance to you as an artist?I love Old Town – Gamla Stan, it’s just magical there, and amazing for bird watching. I also love seeing the old architecture. Is there a Swedish artist who you find inspirational?I really like Joakim Ojanen and Leo Park, I just like how they’ve created their own little worlds – I have a lot of respect for them because they seem like they’re always working and I look up to that, the people who are always working, and you’re kind of chasing in some ways. What is your favourite bar or restaurant in Stockholm?Beirut Café in Östermalms Food Hall. NEBRASKA, 2024 acrylic airbrush, tape and xaco blades on canvas 39,5h x 47,3w in (100h x 120 w cm)

Anton Isaksson: Art Should Mirror Society  text Natalia Muntean To kick off Stockholm Art Week, we have asked a number of interesting people from the city’s art scene questions to explore their relationship to art and the city. Anton Isaksson, a creative, curator and co-founder of Betan Gallery, has presented over 30 artists globally. His artistic creations encompass various mediums, including oil, acrylics, video, performances, public installations, and textiles.   What is the story behind your exhibition during Stockholm Art Week?“Let’s see where our interests converge” is a collection of immaterial transactions. Textile works about perceived value, zero-sum games and transactional relationships. The exhibition is essentially about power. What isn’t? What inspired you to become an artist, and how has your artistic journey evolved?I guess that’s one of those things that just happens when there’s a need to create or express. I don’t know what else I would do. Maybe teach geography? Or history? What is your creative process like, and how do you approach developing new ideas and concepts for your work?I bring my notebook everywhere. When I fill it up, I get an exact copy. Usually, it takes about a month. The ideal notebook should be black, soft in an A5 format and it has to have rows since blank pages intimidate me. What role do you think art plays in society, and how do you see your work contributing to or challenging societal norms?If nothing else, the arts’ purpose should be to mirror society and contribute to it by boiling down complex ideas and making them accessible. That’s how I approach my work. It’s not necessarily about the art but more so about me translating an idea for it to get translated again by the observer. A beautiful process where the message is warped differently each time. Are there any particular themes or subjects that consistently appear in your work, and if so, what draws you to them?Black people. When I’m surrounded by my work I get this sense of belonging. All of a sudden, I’m in the majority. You don’t get that too often. Can you share a favourite spot in Stockholm where you go to find inspiration or recharge creatively?Badmintonstadion Skanstull. I don’t even play that much, it’s just a great atmosphere. The smell, the people, the sounds, the couches and the cheapest coffee in Stockholm (refills are free). Is there a Swedish artist who you find inspirational?Marcia Harvey Isaksson, Thea Olivares, Aron Bergdahl and Betan as a collective. What is your favourite bar or restaurant in Stockholm?Duvan Pub, without a doubt. They’ve fed me when I couldn’t. Superb service.

Picnics, Parties and Women: The Art of Caroline Wong text Natalia Muntean “I use colours as flavours,” says Caroline Wong about her works. Lively, colourful, and exuding a sense of carefree joy and bursting with lazy decadence, her paintings are created simultaneously, mostly at night, in the company of techno music. Born in 1986 in Malaysia, Wong now lives and works in London, where she challenges traditional, restricted representations of East Asian women through her work.At the heart of Wong’s oeuvre is a celebration and vivid exploration of the female experience, their friendships and their pleasure. “Every woman in my pictures is a real woman,” she states. She takes multiple photos of models, friends, and acquaintances, and later brings them to life on canvas. Occasionally, Wong becomes part of her art, inserting herself into her paintings, blurring the lines between artist and muse. Wong’s choice of subjects is deliberate and personal. “I don’t paint men because I feel I don’t know that subject. So I paint what I know. I paint women,” she explains.As the show’s title suggests, food is another central element in Wong’s art, symbolising indulgence and pleasure. “My art is very much tied to food,” she says, drawing parallels between the act of eating and the experience of creating art. Both, according to the artist, are about “giving into pleasure and detaching from the world.”In Wong’s paintings, viewers are offered a voyeuristic look into the vivid world of women as they surrender to the pleasures of life, laughing, chatting, and eating in the company of each other. “Picnics & Parties” is the artist’s first solo show in Sweden, after participating last year in a group exhibition “You Were Bigger Than the Sky, You Were More Than Just a Short Time,” and is on display at Gallery Belenius until 5 May 2024. Artwork photo by Graeme Duddridge and installation images by Ellinor Hall

Exploring the Artistry of Ellen Hedin: Where Function Meets Sculpture text Astrid Birnbaum Ellen Hedin, a Swedish furniture designer, goes beyond the boundaries between functionality and artistry through her innovative use of materials and a keen eye for contrasts. Ellen’s discernible penchant for contrasts manifests in her material selection, underscoring her profound affinity for the natural world. Her oeuvre serves as a conduit for elevating mundane existence into art, extracting the inherent magic permeating our daily lives. Through the infusion of organic elements into her pieces, she beckons viewers to contemplate the intricate interplay between materiality and life itself. – I am like a magpie, I collect things that stir something within me. Then the stick, the shell, or the deer skull can lie dormant, waiting for me, until suddenly one morning I wake up with an idea and understand how they fit together and how they should be used. I believe that all materials have an inherent history; it’s just about bringing them out, getting them to speak. Wood, steel, and bone can bear the memory of places, processes, and people. Ellen intricately weaves together the realms of function and sculpture in her furniture, acknowledging the inherent fusion within the broader artistic landscape. While she strives to create pieces that are either purely sculptural or purely utilitarian, her creations often embody a harmonious synthesis of both domains: – My hope is that people can recognise themselves in both a kind of melancholy but also in a romantic, somewhat mystical image of the world in my furniture. Someone once said that my furniture is more like artefacts than furniture, I thought that was a nice description, but for me, functionality is also important, I believe it deepens the connection. My furniture is both charged and to some extent also alive, it’s direct, both in the design and in the expression,” she shares. Through her work, she emphasises the vital role of human interaction, whether her pieces adorn domestic spaces or grace the walls of gallery exhibitions. This emphasis underscores the intrinsic value of functionality in her artistic practice, enriching the viewer’s experience with each encounter. One of Ellen’s most captivating creations, “Tell,” stands as a testament to her fervent storytelling and material exploration. Drawing inspiration from the rich tapestry of Swedish tradition, particularly the practice of divination with molten tin, this cabinet serves as a vessel for her personal narratives and cherished memories. – Tell was born on New Year’s Eve a few years ago. We predicted the upcoming year in tin. Naturally, I poured in the most tin and received the biggest prophecy of all. While everyone else was busy analysing their predictions, I had already begun to contemplate how I could use my prickly, fragile, yet also sharp and heavy lump of tin. Sometimes I have an almost childlike delight in certain things; this prophecy felt awe-inspiring, as if it carried a kind of meaning I couldn’t grasp. Within the intricate design of “Tell,” elements of childhood wonder, familial bond, profound narrative depth: – It wasn’t until I felled a tree for the first time some months later on my father’s farm in Färingsö outside Stockholm that I felt the same sensation again. I then understood that the large log I had felled was connected to the tin casting, that the materials were speaking to each other and were meant to be together. Beyond her individual artistic pursuits, Ellen is also an integral part of Misschiefs, where she maintains her studio: – Misschiefs has provided me with a sense of community and a studio, which allows me to focus on my artistic work and learn a great deal from all the incredible people in the studio. It’s a safe space and a secure environment, which means I don’t need to worry as much about what others think or spend so much time trying to fit in,” Ellen shares. “I get to be myself at Misschiefs, and that has made me braver. Each artefact crafted by Ellen embodies a unique saga, inviting viewers to embark on a journey through the intricate nexus of materiality, functionality, and artistic ingenuity. Her avant-garde approach to material manipulation and meticulous attention to detail continually push the boundaries of traditional furniture design. In doing so, Ellen blurs the dichotomy between form and function, sculpture and utility, challenging conventions and inviting a reevaluation of the relationship between art and everyday life.  

From Screen to Canvas: Malin Molin’s Meditations on Contemporary Imagery text Natalia Muntean “I seek more freedom through my paintings,” says Swedish artist Malin Molin as we stand in front of Dear eyes, what are you looking at?, one of her works from her current solo show, Ekfraser. Born in Gothenburg in 1989, Molin is exhibiting for the second time in a solo show, Ekfrases (Ekphrases), at Gallery Wetterling in Stockholm. Derived from the Greek ekfras, the title describes a commentary on a visual work of art, with the artist intending to offer a commentary on today’s culture of image. Molin says she has an ambiguous relationship with the images we see online, and in our everyday lives. She is equally fascinated and enthralled by the neverending stream of imagery that can be found online, while also rebelling through her paintings against these same images deciding so many things for us, without us even being aware of it happening. The starting point for the colour-saturated paintings making up the exhibition are prompts given to AI software, such as Open Ai’s Dall-e 3 or Midjourney. This is an essential part of Molin’s attempt to understand the systems of image production that shape our reality, desires, minds, and bodies while counterbalancing these systems with oil painting. “I wanted to bring the flat images we see online and bring more movement, more body, more physicality to them. I believe that paintings offer the possibility of more immersion, more interaction and more awareness of your physical body,” she says about the movement, and livelihood even, present in her works. Rather than focusing on their visual meaning, Molin aims to draw attention to how the images were constructed. While the images are mostly inspired by animal and vegetal motifs, they are characterised by artificial lighting and a pinch of eccentricity. “I always feel a sense of dread before an exhibition and a feeling of it not being good enough,” she confesses. This time these feelings pushed her to start working on one more addition to the exhibition just two weeks before the opening, with the painting depicting two cats with circles ending up as the centrepiece of the show. Molin credits meditation for her success with painting, considering it one of her main rituals before facing the canvas, a space where she activates her sense of intuition and lets it guide her brushes and strokes. Ultimately, through Ekfrases, Molin aims to examine how our daily consumption of media and the inundation of images in contemporary culture affects us. “I wanted to merge these images that we see every day with questions such as: who are we or what do we seek,” says the artist. The show is on display at Wetterlling Gallery in Stockholm from March 14 until April 20, 2024.

Linea Matei’s First Solo Show Is a Tender Triumph text Rosel Jackson Stern When I walk into Linea Matei’s first soloshow Ser Du Mig, I don’t know what I’m looking at. Humanoid polyester sculptures with rounded edges in varying champagne colours sit in a circle with an empty chair among them. Each sculpture is stuffed with wadding and set up as though I’ve just walked in on an otherworldly AA meeting — alien yet somehow familiar. It’s opening night on a chilly February evening at the Stockholm based gallery CFHill. The room is buzzing with onlookers gazing at the circle, in turn watched by more textile sculptures lining the walls around us. The sculptures seem to echo the humanity of the onlookers. There’s an affinity to them as if we’re meeting ourselves from a different dimension. On closer inspection, each sculpture possesses a mirror where the face should be. This confronting intimacy is no accident. Having graduated from Konstack in 2022, this encounter is the first solo show of textile artist Linea Matei. She has sketched each sculpture and crafted them using the sewing skills she gained as a child. The subtle depth of their postures has been hard-won through hours of interviews across Sweden with subjects of varying ages, sensibilities and locations. “I wanted to set up the sculptes so that they explored what might happen if the interviewees somehow met,” she tells me in the upstairs rooms of the gallery. “What would happen if these people from wildly different backgrounds shared space?” she asks. The result is not just a cheap imitation of human behaviour, but a life given, reflected and cared for. Each of the sculptures is someone we know, forgotten or avert our eyes from. They are someone we console, someone whose shoulder we cry on. Both disturbing and comforting, there is a warmth to Linea’s show born of mature and nuanced practice. At the opening, the eerie familiarity seems echoed by my fellow spectators. When I asked one buyer what made them purchase one of them, he smiled and said: “It was something about the [sculptures] confidence and attitude of ‘please take care of me’ that spoke to me. It’s both vulnerable and strong. Like life.“ What has started as an unforgivingly chilly night in Stockholm has blossomed into an unusual display of public tenderness. We meet the sculptures with the sensibility of glimpsing a long-lost friend, only to be confronted by our own faces. For cold and cynical hearts, the show is bright and unassuming mediation on connection. It is confounding, delightful and surprises even the most deadened of viewers into a shared moment of humanity. It’s a benevolence so sweet that it poked my eye upon first seeing the show, equivalent to a stranger picking up on an awkward habit I never thought anyone noticed. Once I’d finished flinching, something inside me melted at the lives lived through these sculptures. Linea has done what the best art does: transmutes the world around them to reflect something of value back at the viewer. To do so without becoming a cliché, or overly “sugary” as my grandmother would say, you have to be specific. In this case, the angle of an arm, or weight of a knee becomes the difference between being force fed a message and inhaling the sweet scent of your favourite dish as a child. There’s no clearly discernible moral to Ser Du Mig, a credit to the artist. True to its name, it constitutes a wildly successful exploration of what it means to be seen. Ser Du Mig runs until 15/03/2024 at CFHill Gallery in Stockholm.