Gå tillbaka / Go back
Sovsimuleringar
AW, Hudiksvallsgatan 8
I made an exhibition for my friend Max exhibition space. It is a beautiful white cube at Hudiksvallsgatan 8. It used to be a gallery before, now he uses it as a small exhibition space and a shared studio. I wanted to show a new series of work, made with this specific room in mind. Images that continue through the room, with the same motif, slightly different, with a similar colour palette and stretchers in the same sizes. On all four walls the paintings follow you, like stills from a film.
For some years, I have been thinking a lot about my appearance and how I look while sleeping. Before me and my ex-partner broke up, I terrorized him with questions about how I looked asleep. The questions popped up since I used to draw him sleeping: it was great fun drawing his nose against the pillow. I never asked him to draw me “back”, since he does not draw. How would I know how I look while sleeping without making somebody take a picture? An ugly image of me sleeping with a double chin would tell me nothing. Therefore, I only asked questions.
Now I sleep alone, and of course this means that I do not have anyone to tell me how I look. Meaning I was forced to use photographs. After realizing that, the way to solve this problem I created myself was to fake sleep, while taking photos of myself. Faking sleep on my bed, with a 10 second timer. After that, I painted this series of self-portraits, one at a time. I call them Sovsimuleringar, Sleep simulations in English. Maybe the act of faking sleep, or to play dead like a frightened guineapig, was more interesting as a motif anyway.
I will continue to make them until I want to paint myself with my eyes open again.
March 2023
Installation view
Sovsimulering 1
29 x 39 cm
Olja på linne
Sovsimulering 2
29 x 39 cm
Olja på linne
Sovsimulering 3
29 x 39 cm
Olja på linne
Sovsimulering 4
29 x 39 cm
Olja på linne
Sovsimulering 5
29 x 39 cm
Olja på linne
Sovsimulering 6
29 x 39 cm
Olja på linne
Sovsimulering 7
29 x 39 cm
Olja på linne