Astrid Svangren was born in Sweden but lives and works in Copenhagen. Now she exhibits at ANNA BOHMAN GALLERY in Stockholm.

In an interview from May 2020 she says that when it comes to materials, she mostly uses what she has handy. “I collect things and I’m given stuff and buy stuff. The materials I use may look delicate, but they aren’t really. I like a certain brittleness, assembling, breaking, mending. This fragility can be quite powerful. It means being close to the works, they stay with me, accompanying me”, she explains.

When she was around 16 years old she decided to become an artist. She saw art as a way of living, as an opportunity to avoid normalcy, and knew that was what she needed.

“Sure, you have to give up on certain things. Being an artist won’t make you rich. But when I’m working I become calm and happy. It makes me a better person.”

Svangren received her MFA, Master of Fine Arts, from Malmö Art Academy. Her works has been shown at Quartz Studio, Turin; Kohta, Helsinki; Miami Basel; GL Holtegaard, Copenhagen; Moderna Museet Malmö; Moderna Museet Stockholm; Bonniers Konsthall; Malmö konstmuseum; Kiasma, Helsinki; Wanås Konst; Artipelag; The Margulies Collection, Miami; Galerie Christophe Gaillard, Paris; Tracy Williams Ltd, New York; Maria Stenfors, London and Christian Andersen, Copenhagen among others.

Photos: Mathias Johansson