Sara-Vide Ericson: Study for Manta Ray

The work is a study for a series of paintings depicting a figure draped in what appears to be a dark, wet blanket, moving through shallow water near the edge of a lake. Across the series, the figure appears in different positions and stages of movement, creating a sense of transformation, uncertainty, and physical presence.

The title reveals an important source of inspiration: the movements of a manta ray. The flowing forms and gestures of the figure echo the animal’s movement through water, creating an association between the human body and the natural world.

Study for Manta Ray was exhibited in 2016 as part of the group exhibition Jag ser ett mörker (I See a Darkness) at Hellvi Kännungs, Galleri Magnus Karlsson’s project space on Gotland. The exhibition included works by Roger Andersson, Idun Baltzersen, Sara-Vide Ericson, and Klara Kristalova.

The exhibition explored themes of vulnerability, transformation, and resilience. As the exhibition text noted, darkness can be understood not only as a source of uncertainty but also as a place of possibility and change.

Sara-Vide Ericson (born 1983) studied at the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm between 2004 and 2009. She lives and works in Hälsingland, Sweden.

Through exhibitions in Sweden and internationally, Ericson has established herself as one of the most influential Swedish artists of her generation. Her work often combines autobiographical elements, nature, and symbolism in paintings that explore emotional and psychological states.