Alex Colard

ABOUT the artist

Hans Lannér (b. 1947 in Skene, Sweden) lives and works in Stockholm, Sweden. He has exhibited regularly since the beginning of the 1990s. His paintings are in the collections of museum, including Moderna Museet Sweden, Malmö konstmuseum, Sweden, Ystads konstmuseum, Sweden and Göteborgs konstmuseum, Sweden.

ABOUT the exhibition

We are pleased to present Hans Lannér’s fifth exhibition at the gallery. My Neighbours compiles a series of paintings from the last two years.

Hans Lannér has suggested that the motifs in his paintings serve as a necessary starting point. The pictures depict places that exist, but they are replaceable depending on who is looking and when. The paintings navigate between reality and fiction. Their origin is not important but the feeling of recognition creates an entrance for both the artist and the viewer.

The houses have been a reoccurring theme. A kind of skeleton which is dressed and adorned by the colour and shapes. Constructions and things made by man are of more importance than the surrounding nature. With these elements it is easier to follow the process of painting and leave the original motif behind. Lannér builds his paintings with care and precision. They describe a pursuit of expression and articulation.

In Lannér’s latest exhibition at the gallery (Conceptions, 2019) he opened the doors of the houses. Inside were quiet interiors without views, isolated from the world outside. Only the light seeped in, illuminating the stage as we waited for the performance to begin.

In the new paintings of the current exhibition, we also meet people. At first, they appear almost as parts of the surroundings, a shadow behind a curtain or a shape next to a tree. But soon they take a central place as actors. We learn what might be their names in the titles of the works, but their identities are of no importance. The human presence gives new possibilities for stories and shifts the perspective. We no longer stand outside as beholders, but find ourselves in the middle of the painting.

ABOUT the gallery

Galleri Magnus Karlsson was founded in 1990. The first 7 years the gallery was located in Västerås, a city 100 km west of Stockholm. It gradually gained a reputation as one of the most interesting contemporary galleries in Sweden. In August 1997 the gallery moved to Riddargatan 29 in Stockholm.

The focus of the gallery has been to present emerging artists from Sweden and establish long term relations and representations. The gallery has done international art fairs since 1999, such as Liste, Basel, Art Forum Berlin, Frieze Art Fair, London, The Armory Show, New York , ABC, Berlin, Chart, Copenhagen, Frieze Art Fair, New York, Art Berlin & FIAC, Paris, to present those artists also internationally. The gallery also co-produces exhibitions, pop-up exhibitions and projects with museums and galleries in Sweden and abroad.

The gallery is, since 2005, located on the ground floor of The Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts on Fredsgatan 12.

Hellvi Kännungs is Galleri Magnus Karlsson’s summer project room in a rebuilt limestone barn on the island of Gotland. Since 2011 it is an alternative exhibition space to the gallery in Stockholm. Some of the gallery artists have curated their own exhibitions here and it has been a place to explore new ideas. Hellvi Kännungs has become a meeting point for artists and public in an environment completely different from the urban gallery space. The proximity to nature and the seclusion has contributed to a prestigious and inspiring atmosphere. In addition to the exhibitions, the gallery artists have also stayed at Hellvi Kännungs during periods of work and relaxation.

The gallery is a partner in the hotel Le Manoir in Banyuls-sur-Mer. This little gem is located in French Catalonia where the Pyrenees meet the Mediterranean Sea. We have made presentations by some of our artists here and works by gallery artists are shown in the public areas and bedrooms throughout the hotel.
http://www.gallerimagnuskarlsson.com

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