Q: What are some of the early experiences or memories you can recall from childhood that influenced you as an artist?
A: Some early memories are, for example, my grandmother's wardrobe. She sewed all her and mother's clothes when my mother was a child. Grandma was a collector of rank and had everything well sorted in boxes. It was a festive moment to go through these boxes together. This is something I inherited, a "wardrobe" in my studio filled with neatly organized treasures.
Another memory is my grandfather reading the newspaper, spread out on a plastic sheet, wearing a face mask and cotton gloves. He said he was sensitive to the ink.
Everything we wear is in a way a form of protection. Against cold, wind and heat. But also towards so much more. Viruses, a stream of constant impressions, mean glances and dull comments. After all, all life experience is saved in our memory, more or less easy to reach. And this archive of images, experiences and feelings that we carry with us is a theme I dwell on a lot in my creative work, both figuratively and symbolically, when I work with objects related to the body.
Q: How was the process of finding your expression, style and voice in what you’re doing today? Was it challenging or obvious from the beginning?
A: Before I started working in leather, on two previous occasions in my life I felt that I had found my language, my way of communicating and it was with full conviction. And with all certainty, these different forms of expression have been a big part of my process to where I am today. The first occasion was when I attended the drama program at Södra Latin high school and the second when I got to try screen printing at a one-year folk high school education. I was hooked straight away and spent every free moment in the printing room. It was a passion that lasted for a long time and which later, via education at Konstfack, became my profession. For many years I worked with pattern design, designing patterns for Marimekko among others, and teaching. At some point, I felt the passion began to cool and the curiosity fade.
I don't really know how I got into leather, but I've always been interested in learning new techniques and trying new materials. It felt so obvious to transfer my graphic designs into three-dimensional shapes. The world of ideas is the same and constantly ongoing, but suddenly there was new tools, techniques and influences. So much to associate around the new material. I'm a real nerd and there's so much to delve into. I need challenges and can stay awake for nights trying to solve a technical problem. The ideas come in a torrent and have to take turns, good or bad, because they still have to be tested without hierarchical order. The process means everything when working with a material.
Q: What is your relationship to fashion?
A: For a long time I had a rather cool relationship with fashion. During my studies in art at Konstfack, everything was about textiles and patterns in relation to the room. Over time, my focus has shifted to being more about the body in relation to the outside world. Portable items as ”comments”. I have filled my studio with rather wayward characters, a rather nice bunch of objects who keep me company in the studio.
Of course I follow the big fashion shows. There are fantastically expressive fashion designers who have an obvious feel for techniques and combinations of materials. The big fashion houses also have the money to realize ideas others would only dream of. I myself am like Disney’s Ferdinand the Bull, who only wants to sit under the cork oak. I am most comfortable in my own world. My only contact with the fashion world is with the stylists who borrow things for photo shoots. I feel like I'm old enough now to avoid being in a category. I don't work based on collections, I don't follow seasons. My work is idea-based and produced in the studio but often results in wearable objects and accessories.
Q: Do you have any favorite book, film or music that has impacted you strongly?
A: I can't name a specific work, I draw constant inspiration from what I come across at the moment. It happens that I turn off the TV to take a picture or to write down a comment. It could be a documentary as well as a series we follow. The news can also be a great inspiration.
I love to read and it has to be paper books. Often I write down a sentence that catches my eye. I have a whole notebook of sentences, titles and expressions that I come back to often. I would probably see these as my main source of inspiration to start from.
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