BIO

Sofia Karlström is a mixed media artist born in 1985, Sweden.


She lives and works in Stockholm. Karlström uses materials ranging from pencil, ink, clay, paint, collage, textile and cyanotypes, to create her seductive human/animal narratives. A love of texture, mythology and vice drive the exploration of pictorial poetry as well as the search of balance between absurdity and beauty.


ARTIST STATEMENT


I employ fictional incarnations of creatures from my imagination in my artwork to explore the narrative of my own personal history. They provide me with anonymity as I pull things out of my head and trying to make sense of them.

Much of my imagery is an exploration of childhood obsessions such as sea monsters, dinosaurs, mermaids and colourful pastry. My aim is making pieces that reflect the very same things I enjoy in straightforward conversation; a dash of humour, a dab of melancholy, a hint of frustration or desire… and preferably the twist of absurdity or unexpected savouriness.

My primary media are paper, pencil, paint, glue, clay and glitter. My current work is a distillation of my imagery and the process of exploring pictorial storytelling and poetry. I am addicted to eye candy and I enjoy honouring and deconstructing reference from fairy tales, mythology, shunga and computer games. Combined with research and my emotional experience, I find that my inspirations make up a fertile ground for material experimentation.

A common goal of mine is to evoke a feeling of irrationality, joy, familiarity or inspiration, and, if possible, all of the above. My vignettes reflect an invitation to my mind and create a contemporary fable.


Using Format