Karin Cyrén
Karin Cyrén is an artist, illustrator and author based in Stockholm. In her playful visual world, the abstract and the figurative come together in stories where shapes, colours and details take unexpected turns.
Karin Cyrén
Since graduating from Konstfack in 2011, Karin Cyrén has moved freely between illustration, art and storytelling. Her playful and distinctive visual world embraces both the abstract and the more figurative – details, colours and shapes that float, collide and find their own paths. There is something effortless about her images, as if they are driven by curiosity and a sense of play rather than by a predetermined direction.
Karin has illustrated numerous acclaimed books, including I en pöl (2018) and Maraton (2019), which was awarded the Snöbollen Prize for Swedish Picture Book of the Year. Osynligt (2025), written by Annica Hedin, was nominated for the August Prize in 2025, and in her latest book, Pekbok (2026), she explores the possibilities of visual storytelling for the very youngest readers. Her work also extends beyond the book, into public art and site-specific projects.
For us at Fine Little Day, Karin’s images have been part of our world for several years, including through several much-loved poster collections. Her distinctive way of allowing shapes and stories to unfold has become a recurring part of the Fine Little Day universe. In autumn 2026, we encounter her visual world once again a
EXHIBITION AT FLD GALLERY
Teckningar, skåp och pölar
10 OCTOBER – 8 NOVEMBER
SAT - SUN, 11 — 16
Fine Little Day Gallery welcomes Karin and her father, designer Mårten Cyrén, for an exhibition inspired by the small wall-mounted cabinets Mårten has been making as gifts for more than 40 years. When Karin’s colourful visual world of insects, plants and birds stepped out of the pages of her books, the cabinets became the perfect canvas for their shared experiments. The exhibition presents entirely new pieces of furniture alongside Mårten’s classic gift cabinets – shown to the public for the very first time.
Q: Your work has such a strong visual voice. How do you know when an image feels like you?
A: I don’t think I ever make work that does not feel like me but I absolutely make work I don’t like sometimes. And I sometimes make work that resembles someone else’s, because that happens very easily in this highly visually oriented time, hopefully I then realize what I have done before it’s too late. But I also believe in stealing from others, as long as it is a deliberate choice and I steal from somewhere far, far away from my field of work. I am very much driven by the urge to see what I can make next and I find no joy in repeating myself, that is not always a great urge to have as an illustrator but that urge is what feels most like me I think.
Q: Colour seems to play a huge part in your work. Do you choose colours instinctively, or is there more strategy behind those wonderfully bold combinations?
A: It is a mix of instinct and an active hunt for color and color combinations. I do think there is something like a perfect pitch for color and I am pretty sure I have it. But I hate boring and safe colors and combinations even if they are harmonious and ”correct”, and I try to steer away from color trends as best as I can. I do the coloring for Liv Strömquists books, in that work I have had to come up with so many weird color combinations and consider how they impact the storytelling, it has been fascinating. If I run out of ideas I will actively search for inspiration elsewhere, fashion is a great source. Hermés webshop is a hot tip!
Q: You move between illustration, books and art. Does the medium change the way you think, or is it all part of the same visual language?
A: I do think the medium change the way I think, both technically, visually and idea wise. Books are idea heavy, naturally, the story comes first and the visual language has to be used in service of the story. For other kinds of projects or just for drawing something quick, the technique, the material, a color or a motif can come first. When I work on a public art commission or illustration job there is always some kind of brief to base my work on. The medium does change the way I think but the visual language is always mine and will evolve as I try it out in different mediums.
Q: Your work often feels playful without feeling childish. How do you keep that balance?
A: I don’t know! I am interested in childhood, I love working for children and I try to use play as a method and source of inspiration. I am not drawn to a typical ”kids aesthetic” and I believe children have an ability to understand and appreciate all kinds of aesthetics, maybe that’s why.
Q: Where do you find the things that end up in your work? Are you a collector, a screenshotter, a notebook person, or do you just trust your brain to remember?
A: I mostly trust my brain. I used to collect stuff and keep a notebook. Right now I am more interested in getting rid of stuff and my notebooks are mostly to do-lists. I work when I am in my studio and whatever comes out of my brain is what I will have to work with. When I am not in the studio all I do is pick up kids from school, cook, clean and catch pokémons (which I do collect!).
Q: And finally: what are you working on right now that you’re excited about?
A: Right now I am excited for the exhibition at Fine Little Day Gallery! I look forward to finding a way to continue exploring the materials and visual worlds I have started to explore in this process in some other form. I don’t know how yet. When I am done working for this exhibition, and have a bit more space in the studio, I want to build an elevated floor with storage underneath. That will be exciting too!
