CAMILLA ENGSTRÖM: RO

Carl Kostyál is delighted to present a new body of work by Swedish-born artist Camilla Engström. The exhibition ‘Ro’, Swedish for tranquility, marks the artist’s debut in London, and her fifth solo exhibition with the gallery.

September 12 – October 4, 2024

Camilla Engström’s recent paintings are inspired by photographs that her father sent her from his walks by the Råcksta lake, a nature reserve close to Stockholm, Sweden. The photographs have functioned as a kind of mood board rather than being directly used as basis for paintings. Now living in California, the artist viewed them with a mixture of comfort and longing.

For other paintings she has also drawn inspiration from her travels along the Californian coast around Morro Bay, Cambria and Big Sur. They are imaginary landscapes conceived as a synthesis of the places she loves.

Another source of inspiration are images that comes to mind during meditation – something she does every day. While meditating you shut out all distractions and focus on being present in the moment. This is also necessary when making art. Engström’s work process is intuitive. She doesn’t make preparatory drawings or sketches.

She has said that she believes in the healing powers of art, the therapeutic effects both in making and experiencing art. Not least after her stint in the fashion industry, art felt like a haven of freedom and empowerment.

The channelling of spirits is also relatable to her: Engström has invented a persona, an alter-ego that she has named Husa, which is Swedish for housemaid. This sounds ironic considering how she is portrayed as an independent, free woman and a kind of eco-feminist, but she says of her “I think symbolically Husa represents Mother Nature or the source of creation in general.”