Fredrik Söderberg and Alexander Tallén – 'Världen före världen'

 Cecilia Hillström Gallery is pleased to present the duo exhibition Världen före världen (The World Before the World) with gallery artists Fredrik Söderberg and Alexander Tallén. The exhibition marks their first joint presentation, as well as Söderberg’s fourth and Tallén’s second show at the gallery.

An artist talk (in Swedish) will take place in the exhibition on Tuesday, 8 April, 18:00, moderated by Svante Helmbaek Tirén, Curator and Head of Collections at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts.

Working with watercolour painting and figurative sculpture, Söderberg and Tallén share a meticulous process where craftsmanship is in focus. Painting and ornamentation bring them together, as well as mutual interests in art history and popular culture. In Världen före världen, they present an exhibition filled with narratives relating to escapism and mythology. As the title alludes, the two artists explore something lost or forgotten in their new works – the source or origin of something universal through our visual history, culture and contemporary daily life.

In his watercolour practice, Fredrik Söderberg explores a wide variety of motifs, focusing on symbols and imagery throughout our history. In Världen före världen, pop culture is explored through ornamentation and patterns in architecture and textiles. This follows his last solo exhibition at the gallery, En förlorad värld, in 2022, which focused on the National romantic era in Sweden. In the new show, the focus lies on the mythical aspects present in iconic films and TV shows like Twin Peaks and The Shining, where mythology offers views of the unknown and explores the origin of evil – themes that always have intrigued the artist.  

Alexander Tallén works in the tradition of porcelain figurines, exploring art historical tableaux combined with contemporary endeavours and escapism. In this historical tradition, the conversation pieces Tallén presents evoke curiosity and narratives where only the beholder’s fantasy sets the limits. In the new series of works, the motifs evoke thoughts of contemplation and wonder through art historical tableaux or everyday scenes. Through the characters’ expressions and actions, the artist pinpoints the futility and absurdities of life as well as its playfulness and possibilities.

A factor linking the artists’ works in the exhibition space is scale – Tallén’s sculptures fit perfectly in Söderberg’s painted scenes. Tallén’s The Nightmare of hopelessness and awe could be set in Söderberg’s painting Winter's Bone with the wonderous brick pattern façade and the dark portal opening to another world.

In Världen före världen, the search for something to hold on to continues, offering a sense of relief in our tumultuous times. 

Fredrik Söderberg (b 1972 in Örebro) is based in Stockholm. He holds an MFA from the University College of Arts, Craft & Design and has also studied at the Royal Institute of Art. Recent solo exhibition includes Det äventyrliga hjärtat at Skellefteå konsthall in 2023-24 and a comprehensive survey of his watercolours dated 2008-2019 at the Nordic Watercolour Museum in 2020. In addition, he was represented in the exhibition Start at Örebro konsthall, celebrating the 40th anniversary of Örebro Art School in the Spring of 2020. Other recent exhibitions include Kristianstad konsthall (with Christine Ödlund) during the autumn of 2019. Further, Söderberg has exhibited at the Swedish History Museum, Magasin III Museum & Foundation for Contemporary Art, Centre Culturel Suédois, Paris and in numerous gallery exhibitions in Sweden and abroad. His works are included in the collections of Moderna Museet, Magasin II Museum & Foundation for Contemporary Art, Public Art Agency, and The Nordic Watercolour Museum as well as in private collections.

Alexander Tallén (b. 1988 in Stockholm) is based in Stockholm and has an MFA from the University of Arts, Crafts and Design, Stockholm (2015). Exhibitions include Katrineholms konsthall (with Linnea Rygaard), Höganäs Museum, the Thiel Gallery, Stockholm, Gothenburg Museum of Art, Eskilstuna Art Museum, Skövde Art Museum, Rian Designmjuseum, Falkenberg and Vida Museum & Konsthall, Borgholm. He was awarded the Young Applied Artists Scholarship, Bengt Julin Fund, administered by the Friends of National Museum of Fine Arts in 2019. Tallén is represented in the collections of the National Museum of Fine Arts, Gothenburg Museum of Art, Malmö Art Museum, Borås Art Museum, Uppsala Art Museum, Röhsska Museum of Design and Craft, Eskilstuna Art Museum, Public Art Agency Sweden and The Warehouse / Art Museum and Research Center, Milwaukee, WI, USA.