One day, as I was laying on the sofa, my friend Molly messaged me to tell me about Stockholm Gallery weekend. As I had been off social media, I hadn’t seen anything about it but quickly booked it off of work before they sorted out the next schedule. Great, I thought, I could finally go immerse myself in some art for a day. I headed to the official website and was saddened to see that it had almost no visuals. I had lost my travel card the week leading up to the event so I couldn’t afford to hop on the tunnel banan at any given opportunity.  I needed to be able to see what was on so I could decide what I liked the look of and stick to those events, rather than traveling all over the city and spending a small fortune. I was going to have to look up every single gallery and figure it out for myself. 

After hours of googling and numerous cups of coffee, I had made a list and my own map of where I was going. One thing I had noticed during this session was that there were maybe a handful of photography shows on? Originally, I had set my sights on seeing some abstract painting exhibits, a genre I had loved whilst in school, but my heart sunk with this lack of photographic inclusion.  There could be a number of reasons for this. The type of work usually shown at each gallery, their exhibition schedules, and yet… It still feels, after nearly two centuries of photographic practice, that it still isn’t quite seen as ‘art’. I digress. Maybe this is a topic for another time. 

I did get to see some great shows and wanted to share with you my favorite moments from the weekend (not counting the incredible vegan raspberry and chocolate patisserie I had at Mr Cake). 

Ulla Ohlson Akvareller - Unikt Glass @ Galleri Ekall + Tornblom

After cycling over an hour to get to Södermalm, this was one of the first shows I encountered. Ohlson’s large watercolour landscape paintings were breathtaking. I have always associated Watercolours with fairly straight, delicate realism. However these incredibly bold and abstract paintings made me rethink my previous assumptions of the medium. These were paired with glass pieces, with weight and strength to match. Whilst taking close up snaps on my phone, wanting to document the techniques used to create these highly textural pieces, Ohlson approached me to ask if I had any questions. I was a little taken aback and shy, blurting out something about how beautiful the pieces were, and moved on. Gosh I wish I could deliberate over my thoughts once in a while, instead of word vomiting over people. I’m sure the vomit makes others a little uncomfortable. 

Helene Billgren Polka @ Galleri Magnus Karlsson

This exhibition consisted of mixed media work by Helene Billgren created by using previously made pieces, bringing together paint (or old paintings), photography, drawings, and sculpture to form a new body of work. I liked this show as it focused on the artistic process of creating. Recontextualising imagery and materials, once used to construct a certain motif, now assembled in new ways. The show represented a certain playfulness. I believe there is a slight pressure (especially in photography) to constantly output new imagery but this show reminded me of the joys and practicality of returning to old work with new eyes and a child-like temperament. 

W. Tucker We’re all just walking each other home @ Galleri Hedenius

After google maps sent me here, there and everywhere, I hopped off of my bike and found the gentle glow of Galleri Hedenius and made my way inside. This charming show depicted the ritual nature of making art. The mindful, still, meditative and reflective nature of the process is then reflected in the work. Each sketch or painting seemed to be produced onto found objects as their canvas. This use of worldly objects adds a sense of physical investigation to Tucker's process as he explores and examines the world inside and around him. 

Jesper Nyrén Location @ Anna Bohman Gallery 

By the end of the day, I was tired, cold and very hungry. I almost skipped this exhibition but realised it was located next to a cafe I had been umming and ahhing about checking out. Perfect, I thought. Coffee, cake, a sit down somewhere other than my bike seat. Then onto the exhibit! I had been drawn to it due to the abstract nature of the work. Each piece was created in a different location, time and season, all reflected in the colour, tones and shades used in the work. The way each piece was constructed created a great sense of depth and texture, evocative of the landscape and terrain they were made. There were many different scales of paintings which urged you to move back and fourth to examine the work. An experience I enjoy seen between art work and audience.