Fyra dimensioner av ett träsk / Four Dimensions of a Swamp

Christine Ödlund’s monumental canvas Fyra dimensioner av ett träsk / Four Dimensions of a Swamp attracts the attention of the viewer through its sheer size and complexity. Like an enigmatic altarpiece, left behind by a long-lost civilization, or an undeciphered map to other dimensions, the composition engages with the viewer in multiple ways. Ödlund bases the work on a naturalistic depiction of a swamp, recognizable from earlier monumental paintings like Träsket / The Swamp(2021, acrylics, plant pigments and pencil on canvas, 204 x 345 cm, Firestorm Foundation) and Owl’s Bay Swamp (2022, acrylics, plant pigments, oil and pen on canvas, 202 x 372 cm). Unlike these two paintings, however, Fyra dimensioner av ett träsk / Four Dimensions of a Swamp is characterized by the, more or less, abstract elements that embellish the work and constructs an enigmatic narrative that unravels on the surface of the canvas. Geometrical shapes inhabit, or colonize, the naturalistic rendering of a swamp nearby Ödlund’s allotment garden just north-east of Stockholm’s city boundaries. The assumption that the depicted swamp is based on Owl’s Bay Swamp is, more or less, confirmed by the detail of a historical map (showing part of Norra Djurgården and Hjorthagen, Stockholm, in the 17th century) that Ödlund has painted in, with Uggel Wiken (Owl’s Bay) clearly visible and legible, near the center of the composition.

The painting is elegantly articulated through a network of clearly defined pictorial fields, within which layers of meticulously applied paint contribute to a topographical quality that grants the surface vibrancy. Undulating, organic forms unfurl across the surface of some of these fields whereas others are simply monochrome spaces, sometimes containing mysterious symbols of unknown significance. Depictions of human beings can also be discerned among the geometrical shapes and realistically rendered lush vegetation of the marshlands. The young man falling to the ground, whilst clutching a banner, in the lower left part of the canvas, for instance, is based on Swedish environmental activist Otis Geijer (born 2004) who, together with two other activists, stormed on to the live set of Swedish TV program Let’s Dance’s finale in May 2023. Otis made the news when one of the heavy TV-cameras (also depicted by Ödlund) accidentally hit him in the head causing him to collapse on the floor.

Geijer’s banner was carrying the message ‘Återställ våtmarkerna’ (Restore the wetlands), which is also the name of the non-profit environmental organization, founded in 2022, that want the Swedish government to ban peat mining and restore the wetlands. This since, today, several of the Swedish wetlands are drained leading to carbon dioxide being emitted. The two characters visible in the upper left part of the canvas are probably also related to how environmental activism has gained widespread attention through Swedish media. This since the characters resemble the women who, once again drawing attention to the cause of ‘Återställ våtmarkerna’, threw paint on a landscape by Claude Monet (1840 – 1926) at Nationalmuseum, Stockholm in June 2023, shortly after Otis Geijer’s demonstration on Let’s Dance.

Fyra dimensioner av ett träsk / Four Dimensions of a Swamp is a good example of Ödlund’s command over spatial abstraction and her hypnotic language of mark-making. Characterized by its rhythmic structure, which emphasizes the artist’s distinct aesthetic vocabulary, the composition merges technical mastery with profound psychological depth whilst drawing our attention to issues relating to ecology and climate change.

Provenance

CFHILL, Stockholm, Fyra dimensioner av ett träsk / Four Dimensions of a Swamp, 24 October – 24 November 2023.

Firestorm Foundation (acquired from the above).

Exhibitions

CFHILL, Stockholm, Fyra dimensioner av ett träsk / Four Dimensions of a Swamp, 24 October – 24 November 2023.

The Nordic Watercolour Museum, Skärhamn, Sweden, This Garden and its Spirits, 13 October 2024 – 2 February 2025.

Literature

Paulina Sokolow, ’Christine Ödlund Into the Swamp’, article in In Focus, 24 October 2023, depicted (work in progress) in the background of photo from Christine Ödlund’s studio.

Copyright Firestorm Foundation