JOAKIM OJANEN: A SHOW FOR THE LONELY DISTANT BABY SOULS

© Joakim Ojanen

“A show for the lonely distant baby souls” an exhibition by Joakim Ojanen on view in Santa Monica, CA from September 12, 2020 - October 31, 2020.

"This is a celebration of the human being," Ojanen says of the show. "Let the stupid feelings take over. Get mad, get angry, get drunk, get happy, get sad! Find a friend, give them your heart, smoke a cigarette, look up in the blue sky, suck a flower...". In a year where we might need to celebrate ourselves just from a self-confidence stand point, this new body of work is on-point. 

© Joakim Ojanen

Joakim Ojanen (b. 1985, Sweden) lives and works in Stockholm, Sweden. Ojanen completed his MFA at Konstfack, Stockholm in 2014. Selected exhibitions include Year of the Dog, Richard Heller Gallery, Santa Monica, USA (2018); Anthropocene, Ruttkowski;68, Cologne, Germany (2017); Joakim Ojanen and Ryan Travis Christian, The Hole NYC, USA (2017); Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale, South Korea (2017); Interrupted Boredom, Lefevbre & Fils, Paris, France (2017); KARNEVAL, Gustavsbergs Konsthall, Gustavsberg, Sweden (2016); Swedish Art: Now! Sven Harrys Konstmuseum, Stockholm, Sweden; Ebelingmuseet, Torshälla Eskilstuna, Sweden (2016); Konsthallen Passagen, Linköping, Sweden (2016); Powerful Babies: The Impact of Keith Haring, Spritmuseum, Stockholm Sweden (2015-16); The Bries Space, Antwerp, Belgium (2015). In 2018, Ojanen was the focus of features in the Los Angeles Times, Paper Magazine and Juxtapoz Magazine and Orosdi Back will be publishing a book on Ojanen's practice as part of their ongoing Konstpocket series. Ojanen's work can be found in many public and private collections including Art Institute of Chicago, US; Colección Solo, Madrid, Spain; Västerås Art Museum, Sweden;  The Ryerson & Burnham Libraries; Frans Masereel Centrum, Belgium and Åberg Museum, Bålsta, Sweden.