Henrik Jonsson, “Chapter 1, self-chosen exile”
Stockholm, 11.10–17.11 2018
Galleri Andersson/Sandström is proud to present Henrik Jonsson’s first exhibition at the gallery, Chapter 1, Self-Chosen Exile. Jonsson graduated from the Royal College of Arts in Stockholm the spring of 2018.
Henrik Jonsson works in various materials such as clay, plaster, wax, jesmonite, bronze, aluminium, lead and oil paint, but equally important sources of inspiration in his works are his interest in Art history, techniques and references to older traditions. Jonsson is constantly exploring the canon of Art history with great craftsmanship by placing iconic works in the present. He creates physical flashbacks and representations of already existing ideas based on his own subjective experience of the original piece. He translates painting into sculpture, releases elements and projects them into new architectural spaces and contexts.
‘My entire body of work is about understanding my own fascination of Art’.
In Chapter I – Self-chosen Exile the main piece consists of thirty sculptured self-portraits by Rembrandt. The project has been ongoing since 2010 and the starting point was a book on Rembrandt that Jonsson found at a flea market as a teenager. The book contained 63 reproduced self-portraits by the well-known artist. Jonsson was captivated by the fact that Rembrandt painted himself throughout his life and started to consider the portraits as one unified work.
Henrik Jonsson grew up in Stöde, just outside Sundsvall in Sweden and helped his family with the work on the farm already as a child. Access to art and culture in general was limited and what filtered through to him were just reproductions of artworks in books that he read. He was fascinated by art for being essentially and completely different to his own reality. In a tangible attempt to grasp this fascination, he began early on to paint iconic works and sculpt them over and over again.
With an undiminished insistence on the importance of physical work along with his virtuoso touch, he now creates his own work.
Henrik Jonsson was born in Stöde in 1991 and lives and works in Stockholm. He graduated from the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm in spring 2018. Jonsson’s work has been presented in a variety of solo and group exhibitions. He has received scholarships from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, the Grafström-Sandqvistska Fund, Eva and Hugo Bergman’s Fund and the Tallbostipendiet.