Johan Bjorkegren
Exhibition & Residency:
March 7 – March 31, 2014

Born and raised on the west coast of Sweden in Uddevalla, Johan Bjorkegren currently resides and works in Gothenburg. After graduating from Beckmans College of Design, Stockholm in 2005, he has exhibited his artworks in his homeland and abroad with places such as Gallery Jonas Kleerup and Steinsland Berliner in Stockholm, Galeria de Muerte in Tokyo, Calix Gustav in Miami and Play Galeri in Istanbul among others.

Drawing which is the heart of his artwork uses recurring themes of loneliness and alienation in repetition and motifs. His use of drawing as a magical compulsion ignites a form of desolated and abandoned imagery with places that provide dreamy, dystopic landscapes, and houses where no one can be found. Diving deeply into the dark side of his work we can find a portrayal of Bjorkegren’s estrangement to the world through resemblance with images of people left alone or juxtaposed without contact, and environments where the hidden and repressed appear to the viewer as dark spots, cracks, weeds and wounds. Bjorkegren’s work includes an ongoing sketchbook project where thoughts and ideas flow faster and more freely, without self-censorship or much reflection. Furthermore, he has also worked with oils, watercolor, animation, and sculpture, and he is expanding his work in other fields by collaborating with writers, musicians, designers, and other artists.

Since 2008, Bjorkegren’s work has been represented in the collections of the Swedish Public Art Agency and granted a number of scholarships. He has additionally done commissions for clients such as MTV, Vestoj, and Buffalo Zine. In 2012, Bjorkegren released his first book which presents the public with his sketchbook works from 2011. More recently, he published his first issue of his art fanzine “BRAIN DAMAGE” in December 2013.

Website