A studio of one’s own: Stockholm’s leading women artists

Another eye-opening visit led by Director of Modern Art Oxford, Paul Hobson, and exclusive to institutional supporters. Our time in Stockholm was an opportunity to visit the studios of a range of artists based in the city, all of whom have had extensive professional lives working across different media and are now in some ways at the pinnacle of their careers. 

Celebrated artist, Cecilia Edelfalk has a hugely diverse practice spanning botanical paintings, sculptures and abstract expressionism. A visit to her studio revealed a lifetime of meditation on nature and the effects of time. In contrast Ulla Wiggen’s work is underpinned by a forensic analysis of circuits and electrical equipment and how this is mirrored in the intricacies of human anatomy – much like the painting housed at Ett Hem, where I stayed on my trip. Wiggen’s process is fascinating, using incredibly fine brushes, some of them only two hairs thick. Sculptor Klara Kristalova’s studio is an explosion of figurative ceramic sculptures that fuse human, animal and natural forms with uncanny details and daily observations. It was as ever a huge privilege to explore each of these personal worlds and hear directly from the artists. 

Outside of the studio setting in the Thielska Galleriet, Maria Friberg has created a dialogue between a selection of her own photographs and video works in the context of extraordinary Edvard Munch paintings and other works within the Thielska Collectio. Friberg’s unique female perspectives redirect our vision in what is a highly male dominated collection. 

At the Bonniers Konsthall Gallery, the work of Tilda Lovell and Sara-Vide Ericson was combined in an exhibition ‘Something darkly set itself at our senses’ five thresholds without stepping over them’. The artists who live in the same locale of Halsingland, but had not previously been in contact, created a range of works allowing visitors to experience murky forests, silent, dry sand landscapes, wetlands and flowing or still waters. Each type of habitat was imbued with a sense of place that was clear to the viewer, but came from two separate artists, both bringing their own experience to bear. I found the works to be particularly compelling, tapping into our approach as a practice as we strive to create the essence or spirit of place for our work. 

Finally in a chance to see a retrospective of the work of Monica Sjöö before it travels to Modern Art Oxford, we visited ‘The Great Cosmic Mother’ at the Moderna Museet. Opening on 18 November at Modern Art Oxford, the exhibition presents the breadth of Sjöö’s practice as an artist, activist, writer and eco-feminist. It’s a hugely interesting exploration of a lifetime’s work across the socio-political and ecological landscape of the last 60 years, much of which she spent living in Bristol and engaging in anti-nuclear and peace activism. 

If you are interested in visiting the Monica Sjöö exhibition, The Great Cosmic Mother, visit the website for further details. If you are interested in supporting Modern Art Oxford, or joining the Director’s Circle, please contact Maria Moorwood or visit the website for further detail and to join online.