Athila, Grünstein, Nobel

Works by Eija-Liisa Ahtila, Denise Grünstein and Jonas Nobel came together in an exhibition that moved between photography and charcoal drawing, from questions of representation and identity to socio-economic perspectives.

Eija-Liisa Ahtila

Three works in the exhibition were selected from Ahtila’s photographic series Instruments, featured in Studies on the Ecology of Drama.

Studies on the Ecology of Drama (2014) can be seen as a performance for and with the camera. It is a practical, representational and philosophical meditation on the inability of our anthropocentric depictive tradition to reach beyond the human realm. Experiences from previous works are brought to bear here, and the narrative is built upon instances that have opened up over the years. The surrounding projected space is an entire panorama that encompasses the viewer within it. The story functions centrifugally: it envelops us physically and narratively, then breaks apart piece by piece.

Denise Grünstein

The exhibition featured five works by Grünstein: four from the photographic series Wunder/Winter, which she developed alongside each other during the same period. While she had previously made series of images at exotic locations and on journeys, this time Grünstein used her local environment. Wunder was shot in her studio and Winter in her greenhouse. Instead of looking outwards, the artist turned her gaze inwards and created surreal figures and worlds that depict emotions and moods metaphorically, while also playing with proportion and scale.

The exhibition also included a photograph from Figure Out, a series of ten large-scale colour photographs that explore dissolving boundaries between male and female, dream and reality, and nature and culture.

Jonas Nobel

The final works added a social perspective to the exhibition: four charcoal drawings from the interdisciplinary artist’s exhibition Katedral? Fabrik?

Nobel’s artistic expression is usually presented through conceptual narratives in which references are manifested in multiple layers. His use of material and technique delivers thought-provoking perspectives on socio-economic subjects with a humorous undertone. Katedral? Fabrik? contains a paraphrase of the Gutenberg printing press; extensively handcrafted, it produces a mass of analogue clip art with cathedral-like silhouettes.

The exhibition was produced in collaboration with Galleri Charlotte Lund and SASSE Art Division.

Eija-Liisa Ahtila

Eija-Liisa Ahtila (b. 1959, Hämeenlinna) is one of the most internationally renowned Nordic contemporary artists. Working across film, photography and cinematic installation, she experiments with narrative storytelling, perception and the ways meaning is created through the moving image. Her more recent work broadens the focus beyond people to their environments and other living beings.

Denise Grünstein

Denise Grünstein (1950–2023) was born in Helsinki and worked in Sweden throughout her career. Internationally recognised as a photographer, she developed an experimental and highly personal style. Her images of nature and people explore identity, sexuality and gender, often through carefully staged scenes with a romantic yet unsettling atmosphere.

Jonas Nobel

Jonas Nobel (b. 1970, Uppsala) is a Swedish artist based in Stockholm. He works with drawings, collages, sculpture and installation. Inspired by mass production and industrial representation, his layered and sometimes absurd compositions combine historical references, material contrasts and socially reflective titles.