Johan Engqvist

JOHAN ENGQVIST (SWEDEN, 1990) EXAMINES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PAINTING AND OTHER ARTISTIC PRACTICES SUCH AS CRAFT, DESIGN, ARCHITECTURE AND DECORATIVE ARTS. THE VARIETY OF REFERENCES AND METHODS FROM DIFFERENT ARTISTIC FIELDS IS FOR ENGQVIST A WAY TO BROADEN THE PERCEPTION OF WHAT PAINTING CAN BE, WHAT IT CAN DO WITH IT AND WHAT KIND OF INFORMATION IT CAN CONTAIN. IN HIS PRACTICE HE REGULARLY MIXES ABSTRACTION, FIGURATION AND DECORATIVE ARTS. ENGQVIST HAS A SPECIAL INTEREST IN DECORATIVE AESTHETICS FOUND PRIMARILY IN DOMESTIC SETTINGS. FOR HIM, DECORATIVE IMAGERY, OFTEN CONSIDERED PASSIVE, REFERS TO THE ENVIRONMENTS WE INHABIT AND THE OBJECTS WE SURROUND OURSELVES WITH. THEY FORM THE BACKDROP TO OUR DAILY LIVES AND LIVED EXPERIENCES, ALLOWING MOST OF US TO RELATE TO THEM IN DIFFERENT WAYS, BOTH PERSONALLY AND COLLECTIVELY. ENGQVIST IS ALSO INTERESTED IN HOW DIFFERENT TYPES OF DECORATIVE IMAGES ARE ALWAYS RELATED TO THE CONCEPT OF TASTE, AND HOW GOOD OR BAD TASTE IS IN TURN RELATED TO STATUS. THE RECOGNIZABLE IMAGE MATERIAL, OFTEN PAINTED AS A PATTERN, IS ABSTRACTED TO SOME EXTENT. IT IS TAKEN OUT OF THE CONTEXT WITH WHICH WE USUALLY ASSOCIATE IT AND PRESENTED IN A DIFFERENT WAY THAN THE ONE WE ARE USED TO SEEING, WHICH MAKES THE PAINTINGS SEEM STRANGELY FAMILIAR.JOHAN ENGQVIST LIVES AND WORKS IN GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN.HE HOLDS A MASTER OF FINE ARTS DEGREE FROM THE HDK-VALAND ACADEMY OF FINE ART AND CRAFTS IN GOTHENBURG.SINCE THEN, HE HAS EXHIBITED AT VÄNERSBORGS KUNSTHALLE, NSFW AND GALLERY THOMASSEN, AS WELL AS GALLERY HELLE KNUDSEN IN STOCKHOLM.IN 2021 HE WAS PART OF THE EXHIBITION RECENT GRADUATES, ALSO IN STOCKHOLM.