Emma Bjurström: In Three Acts

LAMB is pleased to present In Three Acts, Emma Bjurström’s (Sweden, 1986) first solo exhibition in London.

Taking as a point of departure the masterpieces of artists like Anders Zorn and John Singer – showcased at the National Museum in Stockholm –, Bjurström has developed a series of paintings evoking the complexity of fabrics, surfaces, and objects. It is clear, then, that what captures the artist’s attention in those portraits are the interiors rather than the sitters. In this series, Bjurström depicts several pieces of furniture: she is interested in the static qualities of the object and how that innate aspect of the piece coexists with its purpose of being used and inhabited.

All the works are conceived as traditional portraits, placing the piece of furniture as the central element of the composition. However, Bjurström challenges the viewer as the compositions stem from a collection of diverse visual sources. This process of collation of imagery allows the artist to create paintings where the dramatic use of chiaroscuro cohabits with the geometrical, almost cubist-like depiction of furniture and the sensuous representation of rich coloured fabrics.

In Bjuström’s practice there is an intention of exploring the concepts of time and space. She studies this overarching theme through her process: she paints slowly, over long periods of time, accepting the time-consuming nature of painting. The idea of space is examined through the lens of the medium itself. Bjurström highlights the physical limitations of the canvas and the inability of painting to escape its static nature despite the constant attempts of artists to simulate reality in a detailed manner.

Drawing inspiration from the Western art history canon and traditional Swedish craft, she creates her own visual language to navigate abstraction. There is also a deep interest in acknowledging the constraints of painting as a medium, constantly brought to the surface in her process. Overall, Emma Bjurström practice is an exploration of painting itself.

Emma Bjurstrom (b. 1986 Uppsala, Sweden) lives and works in Virrestad, Sweden. She studied fine arts at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy, Amsterdam (2011-2014) and has since favoured painting as a medium. History plays an important role in her practice, and through her paintings she reconfigures, re-interprets and reinvigorates old artefacts and symbols. Often informed and led by research, Bjurstrom has previously, for instance, incorporated traditional Swedish crafts and customs in both sculptures and paintings. Nineteenth century painting is moreover an important reference point for her and she cites artists such as Anders Zorn, John Singer Sargent and Édouard Manet as prominent influences. Her solo shows include Timber and Stone, Stockholm, Sweden (2021), Absentminded Deformation, Belenius, Stockholm, Sweden (2018) and Överkloster, Skåne, Sweden. Her work has been included in group shows at Olseröds Konsthall, Österlen, Sweden (2021,2020), Belenius, Stockholm, Sweden and Galleri Hörnan, Falun, Sweden (2015).