Alex Colard

ABOUT the artist

Emma Bjurström is a visual artist, who was born in Sweden, like other celebrated artists such as Rita Lundqvist, Ernst Billgren, Lars Bergström, Patrik Berg, and Erik Hed.

Emma Bjurström’s work has most recently been displayed during the exhibition One work by each artist at Belenius in Stockholm, Sweden. The exhibition was open from 15 November 2019 until 06 December 2019. Emma Bjurström’s only other recorded exhibition on Artland is Backdrop, which took place at Belenius in Stockholm, Sweden (12 April 2019 – 22 June 2019).

https://www.emmabjurstrom.com/

ABOUT the exhibition 

With this exhibition Emma Bjurström strive to investigate Swedish soil and site-bound phenomena. Detailed studies, enlarging objects from the past. A binary presence in the antagonism, also highlighting the developing expansion between different eras. Objects are able to gain renewed meaning in a new milieu. Visiting ´Nordiska museet´ in Stockholm (Sweden’s largest museum of cultural history) and ´Österlens museum´ Bjurström dived deep into the traditional village life of Sweden during the 19^th century. In that expression of old, mythical stories and pictures emerged that could be explained understanding the cultural circumstance from whence they arose. Bjurström perform a wink toward past tense, bridging the distance to present day.

Growing up Bjurström were told numerous stories, and also shown photographs of her family and their emigration to America. Her paintings convey a feeling of leaving, more than something to hold on to. Both emigrants and luggage contained memories and material from what was known and old, perhaps dated. Linen cloth and memory tokens received new life at a new place. This function as yet another wink toward the Swedish soil and spirit.

” A cramped linen cupboard contains a whole life. Between those sheets’ children have been conceived, sickness has been endured, and elderly died”

The international outlook and urbanization that occurred during and after the industrialization, sadly made us forget local craftmanship that we developed and perfected generation after generation. Sustainability and traditions diminished when mass production became the predominant manner of industry.

Linen and its manufacturing consisted a large part of life for the 19^th century man, it being used for clothes and rags. However imported cotton displaced linen but is coming back more and more as it is energy efficient in comparison.

Before a potential wedding could take place, men were imposed to give women a gift to earn their liking. One of the most common gifts was a rigid heddle, which was used when weaving strings and belts for linen cloth. These have been transferred into this era and are portrayed sculpturally along with parts from an old door.

The new works in this exhibition have a certain scent or feeling to them – that of home and Swedish cultural heritage. A sigh is a consequence of vital oxygenating. It is quite contemporary to gaze at which is local, or home especially during this Covid-19 pandemic. We have all become time travellers, not for nostalgic reasons but rather a push of go-ahead spirit.

Valter Sydén February 2021

ABOUT the gallery 

Established in 2006, Belenius is a contemporary art gallery based in Stockholm. From the onset the key objective has been to form an intergenerational program supporting emerging as well as more established artists of all media including sound, film, mixed media, photography, painting, sculpture and installation. Though the work is diverse in presentation the artists are linked by a commitment to continuously reassess the position of artistic practices within their wider cultural, social and political frameworks. The program includes solo and thematic exhibitions and the space also invites guest-curated projects. Over the last thirteen years the gallery has developed into a vibrant location for performances and exhibitions in different forms.

Opening hours:
Open by appointment only, please book meeting below. Gallery is closed during installation and when no exhibition is ongoing.

http://belenius.com/