“Imaginative & pleasurable break from our contemporaries”
“Ulrika Stahre see the humorous and timeless works at Liljevalchs vårsalong”
“At a time when the spring salon opened its doors at Liljevalchs konsthall, a as usual, any early sign of spring. This year’s edition were selected by a jury consisting of artists, and the assignment is to ”choose the work, which can interact with each other in a generous and joyous exhibition”.”
“And, yes, generous and fun is a good description of the exhibition that is now hanging. Humor, breadth, and something for everyone – much like a vårsalong tend to be. There is a kind of timelessness – of course, an illusion, but – that is only sometimes broken by the familiar styles and names. The styles are familiar to many of the works are based on inspiration from an established world. It is almost like an art fair.”
“Above all, this means the spring salon, which is solid and hard to beat tradition, a break from the present. There is very little that could not have been five years ago, or ten, or five years again. One of the exceptions is Skaparkollektivet Shaped great works 17 000, a shelving system full of tiny objects, one for each afghan refugee threatened with deportation from Sweden, 17 000, 17 000 items. Pieces of wood, pipe cleaners, plasthjärtan, strong colors. The work is an attempt to make a large amount of people understandable, laudable but difficult. “
“In Stefan Bennedahls The Eighteen has the Swedish Academy, the residue is placed on the chairs, a decimated crowd just like in real life, without table, without the agents. A sad crowd, in a sad development, and a timeliness in the traditional form.”
“But perhaps it is the imagination, the story, the artwork as its own universe that is the proceeds of the spring salon. There is a lot to like about in the road, animals who drink wine (Liselott Toresdotter Lindberg), småsurrealistiska movies, golden ekorrtassar (Lisa Moulders), forests full of mystery (Inger Edelfeldt).”
“Axel Österholm, who is the exhibition’s youngest participant, has created thumbnails of more or less well-known vardagsbyggnader you Stockholm. Architecture that goes under the radar but that is a little bit of the soul of the city. Nerkrympta and as well as dockskåpslika they are under the control and at the same time a kind of mikromonument of possible events and meetings.”
“Österholm is not alone on the subject, more buildings, both existing and more or less amazing, is the motif for painting and drawing. Something we can keep us stuck in: a floor plan, a section, an environment. “
“So maybe oozing still present. The material present. The present of the opportunity.”
