Studio: Anna Engver
Galerie Forsblom Stockholm
February 22–March 31, 2019
Opening in the presence of the artist February 21, 5–7pm
Galerie Forsblom has the pleasure of exhibiting Anna Engver, an emerging artist with a distinctive visual practice. Deceptively abstract at first glance and at distance, the panoramic works in fact encompass layers and layers of figurative elements which require to be seen up close.
In Galerie Forsblom’s studio, new works are presented including one that marks the artist’s largest to date. The format appropriating the walls is not coincidental; the dimensions relate to the artist herself. Although by no means evident, there's a significant digital element to the artistic process. Before applying the charcoal, collected photographic imagery is projected straight on to the canvas. At the core of Engver's work is an appreciation of images. The artist's own inspiration stems partly from the self while also drawing from a range of sources including ancient patters, ornaments and historical encyclopedias. With charcoal as her base and a desire to explore certain motifs that have lingered on for various reasons, Engver approaches the upstretched canvases with an open mind and without a perception of the end-result. In the midst of the layering process, figurations emerge, dissolve and evoke new ones, ultimately rendering seductive collage-like works.
The notions of aesthetics and perishability are omnipresent in Engver's work. What dictates and influences personal taste? In our daily feeds and flows of images, what stands out and ends up making a lasting impact? Engver questions her own choices, why some motifs are allowed to remain visible while others are erased, discarded and replaced.
Anna Engver (b. 1990) graduated from the Royal Institute of Art, Stockholm, in 2018. Her work has previously been exhibited in group exhibitions at venues including Konstnärshuset, Stockholm and Örebro Läns Museum, Örebro. In conjunction with receiving a grant from Stiftelsen Anna-Lisa Thomson Till Minne in 2018, Engver was exhibited at Uppsala Konstmuseum.