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Art review: Jesper Waldersten poking in the wound

Remember though that it has been almost 20 years since Jesper Waldersten published his drawings in the vignette STHLM, here in Today's News. With the exact ton

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Art review: Jesper Waldersten poking in the wound

Remember though that it has been almost 20 years since Jesper Waldersten published his drawings in the vignette STHLM, here in Today's News. With the exact tonträff he captured life as a young adult in the big city, the anoxic parmiddagarna, the most euphoric nights on the town, and the sour awakenings the day after. They gathered later in the ”Thank you for last your devil!”, a presentvänlig generationsbok that I have at least two copies of at home in the bookshelf.

He could, of course, have continued in much the same spirit, but Waldersten seems driven by an inner restlessness that causes him to constantly try new projects – from posting a new picture every day for a year on Instagram to create an exhibition based on Astrid Lindgren's ”the Brothers Lionheart” or to make the wearing pressure at a fast food restaurant.

him once for less than ten years ago, he talked about how difficult it was to be accepted in the ”fine” art world. Now, with a current exhibition at Fotografiska, one may say that he is there. Illustrationsjobben for DN and the other, he has however (unfortunately) left behind.

But of course, you feel again the language from the early tidningsillustrationerna. The black humor is the same, as well as the Robert Broberg-esque ordvändningarna and samtidsförståelsen, even if he this time working with photography as a medium. But it is in every way a more adult artist we encounter in the day. Waldersten turns 50 this year, which certainly influenced him in a more melancholic direction, with a lot of blacks, vardagsångest and skulls.

think Sometimes you see an Ingmar Bergmanskt appropriations in his pictures, sometimes similar to the runristningar, any time they are high-spirited as a spread in the Blender. The jumps between high, low, childish and deeply is a part of the Walderstens artistic identity, even if the technology varies. This time it is about the photo, even if you have to take the definition with a grain of salt. Often have Waldersten simply the band of one of their illustrations or typed everyday observations, while other works are collagebaserade or processed photographs.

Jesper Waldersten ”Transformer”

the photo exhibition. Nicely hung too, with dramatic lighting and full black frames. The sense of style that could adhere a part of his lithographic press is gone, even if a certain scent of reklambyråsmartness linger – Waldersten is so skilled in their ways of expression that the viewer can occasionally feel a little manipulated. Is not the darkness, the icon and the anxiety most of all a pose, an artistic nitjacka?

But no, it would be unfair. Jesper Waldersten has created an entirely private visual imagery of the black ink, the red color and the black and white photograph, instantly recognisable despite the fact that he is constantly experimenting with new techniques and expressions. He is, as the exhibition title suggests, the everywhere at the same time. Not everyone can like everything, but after twenty years he is still inside and poking in the wounds.

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