The art of Jacob Dahlgren is mainly characterized by the use of strong colors, often in combinations of stripes, squares or other graphic patterns. He is sometimes called “The Stripy Artist”, as he is utilizing himself in an ongoing art project in which he is dedicated to wearing striped shirts every day for the rest of his life. This “living exhibition” is already running on its eighth year, and his closet is currently containing more than a thousand striped shirts. As a sculptor, Dahlgren is constantly exploring new tools and materials. Cans, dart boards, thread spools, coffee mugs, clothes hangers and bathroom scales, are among the objects he has been using as art supplies. The artist often eliminates the function of the object, in order to communicate experiences through its color and shape. Different abstractions are then created by the use of unexpected repetitions and combinations.
Jacob Dahlgren is a graduate of Grafikskolan and the Royal Art Academy in Stockholm. He is represented in numerous national and international museum collections, such as KIASMA in Helsinki, the British Museum in London, Moderna Museet and Nationalmuseum in Stockholm. His work is also included in the permanent collection of the Umedalen Sculpture Park. In 2007, Jacob Dahlgren represented Sweden at Nordic Pavilion of the Venice Biennale.