Olivia Pettersson Fleur – Atomic Snapshot

We are pleased to present Olivia Pettersson Fleur’s second solo show at the gallery, Atomic Snapshot. Olivia Pettersson Fleur works with painting on paper, where her brush strokes form colour gradients that are shredded into thousands of pieces and then reassembled with a slight displacement. Lately, circular elements have found their way into the collages in both negative and positive shapes. The craftsmanship of her meticulous process resembles that of weaving or similar textile expressions. At the same time, the collages also have a complex digital connotation, like depicting the transmission of data or details of pixels forming a whole.

As in previous projects, Pettersson Fleur draws inspiration from science, specifically how scientists and theoreticians try to describe and visualize the world. How does one begin to describe energy? Or frequency? – Something that could be both immaterial and concrete depending on perspective. For Atomic Snapshot, Pettersson Fleur has drawn inspiration from Emanuel Swedenborg (1688–1772) and his image-driven theories that have been said to have influenced scientific research. For example, his metaphors of vibrations as waves or trembles in On Tremulation (1719) could be considered an early attempt to describe energy. Or his idea of the circle as the absolute form which makes up the world.

Energy has always been a fundamental idea in Pettersson Fleur’s work, which the exhibition title Atomic Snapshot might point to. In the new paintings, lines in bright and vivid colours contrast the clusters of circular forms gathering on the surface. Colours and lines are all intertwined – the detailed structures almost seem to vibrate intensely on the surface, capturing the eye and directing it forward and beyond.

In quantum mechanics, the wave-particle duality theory states that the tiniest components of the world can be described as both particles and waves, two aspects that seem to be opposites of each other. To quote Swedenborg – everything trembles, which in his mind connects spirit with matter. Experiencing Pettersson Fleur's energetic work may make it easier to grasp these elusive possibilities.

Olivia Pettersson Fleur (b. 1989) holds an MFA from the Royal Institute of Art, Stockholm (2018) and a BFA from the Umeå Academy of Fine Arts - Umeå University (2016). Pettersson Fleur has exhibited at Färgfabriken, Stockholm, Körsbärsgården, Gotland, 3331 Arts Chiyoda, Tokyo and Tsukuba Museum of Art, Tsukuba in Japan and at Alta Art Space, Malmö. She was awarded the scholarship of Marianne och Sigvard Bernadottes konstnärsfond 2021, the Swedish Arts Grants Committee's one-year working grant 2019 and the Brucebo Foundation Residency/Scholarship in 2018. She is represented in the collections of Public Art Agency Sweden, Stockholm konst, Region Stockholm and Region Uppsala.