Johan Carlsson Ström
Fine Arts BFA
HDK-Valand – Academy of Art and Design
Specialisms: Fine Art / Painting / Public Vote
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Johan Carlsson Ström
First Name: Johan
Last Name: Carlsson Ström
Specialisms: Fine Art / Painting / Public Vote
Sectors:
My Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
University / College: HDK-Valand – Academy of Art and Design
Course / Program Title: Fine Arts BFA
About
My research is based on interests in supernatural phenomena, true crime, magic, and mysticism.
I work on creating images, primarily through painting. In my work, I search for moods and energies, environments that feel mysterious in various ways, that creates chills or radiating ambivalence. This happens through a dialogue between memory images and image documentation where I recreate environments in the pursuit of something that is true. If it even exists? Layers upon layers make shapes visible under layers of paint or other media, like membranes. The truth thus becomes elusive.
In the initial process of a painting, I don't always know what I'm looking for; I let the image and materials guide my impulses. The painting is repeatedly reworked in search of the right mood. I explore and experiment with living materials such as egg tempera, rabbit skin glue, and distemper, which are layered to create membranes. Textures and traces from the layers below remind me of where I have been and where I am going.
Fascination with the supernatural and spectacularly evil can function as a comfort and a distraction from the real threats of the troubled world. Magical thinking can then be seen as a form of escapism, a form of morbid escapism. I am interested in the balance between dream, fantasy, and reality.
Carlsson Ström creates images with a focus on painting, blending memory images with documented visuals. The painterly series ”Morbid Escapism” explores magical thinking and a fascination with the horrific as a form of escapism. Supernatural phenomena intersect with true crime and childhood fears, striking a balance between dream, fantasy, and reality. Monstrous narratives offer comfort and act as an escape from a threatening reality.
Competitions
