Thoughtful Intentions

FACE VALUE

John Atherton’s formal abstract works are unequivocally in the tradition of modern abstract art. At first sight, they are to be appreciated entirely in the realm of pure visual abstraction and the pleasures of viewing carefully composed colour and form. However, counter-intuitively to this tradition, Atherton’s work emerges not from the lineage of abstract art but from that of portraiture. The portraits or commemorative representations in an anonymous school yearbook from the 1980s are the geneses for each artwork. Upon realising this the viewer is compelled to unravel the abstract ambiguity of the work with renewed care.

I am interested in perfection and the different ways we perceive and identify with it. My work often begins with a set of instructions which leads to subtle variations according to my interpretation during the process of making. Perfection is never the final outcome, but is integral to my creative process. 

I often work with small series or editions, as this allows me space to create a narrative from my set of instructions. To move freely within a boundary, relaxing and allowing things to happen. Within this space I explore the unexpected through imperfections made by my hand, which evoke expressions of emotion. The repetition keeps my mind clear, the chatter fades and I can focus on the task at hand. The repetitive element naturally comes from this way of working, questioning the identity of what it is I am exploring and the often infinite possibilities and decision making on when to stop. 

‘Taking care’ is a part of my creative process. I give serious attention to what I am making to avoid mistakes, yet at the same time allow space for imperfections to happen. By using porcelain as a medium, I am drawing on a long history dating back to the Chinese dynasties where the material was first discovered.  It is such a naturally expressive material, to which I can add a physical presence through my narrative process, creating a series of objects that visually tell a story.

In the expanded field of textiles Mia Hultgrens practice is an exploration of contradictions and transformation - both in material as in subjects. Through an exploratory and experimental process in various textile techniques, and sometimes with material that goes beyond fibers, she works in the field of tension that arises between material, form, and colour. Recurring themes in her work are time, translucence, in-between spaces, deconstruction, and reconstruction. Taking inspiration from her surrounding environment her work is developed through methods of repetition, layering, and connecting.

For the exhibition NAA x SSDD she will show artworks from the series “Connections”, a contemplative exploration of our physical interplay with both fellow beings and the environment that surrounds us. The series delves into the nuanced dynamics of our connections, capturing the intricate ballet of people as they traverse public spaces - how we make room for those we meet or take a step aside to avoid running into anything. It illuminates the shifting distances that punctuate our encounters - how we draw near and then drift away. Connected to the theme for SSDD 2024, Care, it shows how we interact with sensitivity, empathy, and respect towards the people or surroundings we meet and interact with.

Åka Studio makes design objects that engage with care on a primal level and this year's theme was already staring back at them. With the core of the latest collection being a set of mirrors, playing with the notion of care is regularly at the tip of their thoughts.

They aspire to ignite their passions in others through a commitment to making work that absorbs and reflects facets of their immediate environment and a sense of responsibility for taking care of the natural world through sustainable material choices.

One can glance through a painstakingly crafted, purposely imperfect mirror frame, simultaneously promoting a sense of self care and of selfless duty to the environment. 

Through texture they reference the serene and archaic natural elements found here in Skåne. 

Mimi brings her love of sculptural form and texture to the Studio, honed during her years studying in the UK at Central Saint martins, The Ruskin School of Fine Art, Oxford and the Royal College of Art. As an artist Mimi has exhibited internationally.  

Jeffrey, having studied art history at Bristol University, went on to experience many years of practice in art studios engaged in carpentry, mould making and glass work. 

Åka are Mimi Norrgren and Jeffrey Rogers, artists and designers recently relocated to Sweden from the UK. Their creative journey has culminated in a determination to build a business based upon sculptural integrity and sustainable material choices. 

This project started as an idea of giving care to unwanted waist. Empty Fastgas containers thrown out of cars, leftovers of a new way of getting high, shameful, and hidden. They have a hidden beauty.

Playing with form, colors and context gives a new use and expression, and creates different reactions.

The side table LACK is one of the most common pieces of furniture in the IKEA portfolio and a symbol for the quest of the perfect home. Replacing the original legs with the Victorian shape of the containers gives a new form but with recognizable forms from both worlds. LACK of Lust,

The Chimes is aiming at meeting the properties and sound of Fastgas containers, with the visual expression of bohemian wind chimes usually creating the soundtrack for new age post yoga relaxation, but now with a slightly darker tone…

The project is a mix of personal observations and thoughts, of playful experimentation with form and perception.

Objects of desire, professionally crafted from waste.

ROBERTSON ReDESIGN continues to explore the possibilities of waste material in creating unique and attractive interior, garments and objects that can be translated to a client’s needs. Designer Helle Robertson has a background in traditional tailoring, pattern cutting and fashion and has always been deeply interested in upcycling and reuse. By working with a variety of recycled materials she hopes to inspire consumers and clients to see potential in their own waste, overproduction or discarded materials.

“My work, quite literally deals with the consequences of the outdated systems for production and consumption that are still prevailing. I don’t make products, I create objects to make people think. I keep on, because I still care.” Helle Robertson, Designer

Sarah Nakiito is an interdisciplinary artist working primarily with textiles, plants and other natural materials, the body, and text. Sometimes her works form spatial installations, though she also works with costume and performance.

For this year's SSDD Sarah Nakiito will exhibit a snippet of the project "Black Female Form" which in its purest form is a consideration of the theme "Self-care”. The project´s gaze is a decolonizing and contemporary mapping of mental illness, racism, minority stress and methods of collective healing for marginalized groups.

Racism, sexism and exotification against the black and brown female body have caused mental illness and colonial legacy to leave traces and limitations in how we navigate in the white majority societies in the Global North with the predetermined conditions that apply to (especially the foreign-born) immigrant woman today. We have inherited deep colonial psychological trauma that leads to a systematic disguise of the self (code switching) and are forced to assume a role, especially in white rooms

Let me show you how beautiful it is

Take care of the hand made. Care for the textiles. I make

designs using an ancient Japanese method, Katazome. It is to dye with indigo resisted with rice paste

applied through detailed hand cut stencils.

In this exhibition I show my work of upgrading the value of textiles. Miscellaneous pieces of cotton,

linen and hemp, second hand, vintage left-over textiles. Once handmade, perhaps even hand spun

fiber, previously made, well kept, pre-loved and now in the secondhand box. The worn linen often

gives very beautiful results in the indigo vat. Sometimes I repeat the process putting another stencil

on top of the previous, thus creating a subtle double layered effect of the design. The dyed pieces

with layers of indigo blue, botanical patterns turn into beautiful pieces that are no longer throw-

away-able. I use the dyed pieces as parts of larger collages, mount them to wall hangings, or sew

small precious items from them.

Lena Palenius. I am an artist working in my own studio, mainly with textiles. I am since childhood

self-taught in the wide field of textiles, plus I have a landscape architect, master’s degree. My patterns

are botanical, and with a subtle mix between sharpness of details and flowy perception and dreamy

worlds.

An embroidery exhibition on the nature-being-other bond

 

This embroidery exhibition is part of the series The Five Seasons by Paula Castro, a

Brazilian textile artist. Using linen and thread, the embroideries illustrate the

feminine, the woman's body in organic transformation with nature and the value of

each phase of the life cycle.

The threads pass through childhood, youth and maturity and give life to the processes

of mourning and maturing. The changing seasons are metaphors for the states of the

soul. The embroidered scene emphasises the flowering of human intimacy in painful

moments, the value of being connected to each other and also to nature.

In this way, the canvases provoke us to feel the bond between Nature - Being - Other

and to conjugate the verb to care.

To care about looking inward, knowing oneself, the needs that spring from

within, and their purpose for being in the world;

To be careful about cultivating the garden around oneself, and pollinators, and

maintaining the creation of life on the planet.

To be continuously caring about others in the terrible autumns of their

existence. To always be a support for their pain.

 

Hands take care. Hands are protagonists in this series. With them, we look after ourselves, each

other and the Earth. With our hands, we touch, we create intimacy and, through caring, we

establish bonds. We need this bond to feel safe and to develop as human beings. Therefore, care

is urgent and essential. By caring every day, we participate in building the bond with ourselves,

between ourselves and others and between ourselves and the planet.

Evelina Björnqvist is a material-based designer, artist, and woodworker. Navigating between conceptual design and craft, her practice revolves around sensorial interaction and the symbolic meaning of everyday objects - often taking a starting point in its relation to body and movement. With a scenographic approach, she is interested in how objects and spatial contexts can interact to build layers of perception. The correlation between color and materiality informs her process as well as the final result, which can be a functional or non-functional piece or installation.

 

Ida Kjällquist is a dancer, choreographer and producer. Her methods are inspired by the philosophy within GAGA and originate in improvisation, in the unexpected, the unexplored - to constantly challenge one's ingrained impulses for movement and to visit unknown places in the body. She works with an interest in form, speed and connecting effort with pleasure. In her later dance projects, she has investigated the choreographic potential of everyday movements in relation to objects, tactility and imaginary spaces. In the role of choreographer, in close dialogue with the intimacy coordinator, director and actor, she has recently worked in art film with a focus on nudity, intimacy and boundary setting.

“My art discovers the beauty of the Nature and natural materials such as wool and cashmere. Using textures yet
sensuous to touch, I like to play with color-combinations, seeking for a meditative, even therapeutic effect within the complex harmonies. The essential is to find by feeling “that very” energy that we call inspiration and weave it into the shape of matter, using the materials I’m working with. In spite of my industrial design background, the creative process is a journey of intuition: to turn off a “Designer” mode and switch on the “Creator”. It happens quite often, that material guides me through the shape. In that case, I just act as a performer, following by the material. Speaking of the language, Abstract Impressionism is the one, I prefer in my works. The day, I’ll become a star on the sky, I’ll be painting with clouds... while in the meantime, I draw with whatever warms my hands... and I hope someone’s hearts. That’s why wool and cashmere are my favorite materials”.

This piece was created out of 1849 merino-wool balls, suspended in the air with the transparent wire. And it’s a
part of series “Parallel worlds”. In this piece MASHA tried to discover color characteristics of the objects (wool balls) depending on the environment it’s been placed. Similar objects behave differently and change its color
characteristics depending on the objects around. Here, Masha shows clearly and gives the freedom of interpretation to the viewer, to draw the parallels with the Human being in particular and the way environment can effect on an individual. Focusing on particular fragments, it is easy to see how colors could be revealed in a very different way, depending on the viewer’s focus. SUSPENDED has a very strong therapeutic and meditative
effect on a viewer, following the purpose: “Art as a care”. Light and shadow playing on a felted wool texture, make
every single piece alive and vibrant. The texture is sensual to touch, inviting the viewer to move his palm, to plung him even deeper into the inner world of his own perception.