Paint it Black

Paint It Black – A painting exhibition by Pär Strömberg
Opens on December 1, 2007. Vernissage 15.00 -17.00 in Kunstcentrum Catharinakapel

In the work of painter Pär Strömberg (Örebro 1972), the impact of the nature and dense woods of his native Sweden has always been crucible. Darkness and light co-exist in interplay of good and evil, of seductive and sinister, of life and death. His interest in native pagan stories, folk tales and the occult lay as foundation for his narratives. These myths and tales have helped form a collective memory of what our dreams and fantasies are made of.

In the Catharina Kapel, a 400-year-old chapel in Harderwijk, Strömberg will show a series of paintings about darkness and twilight. His work is inspired by the many stories of the island of the dead, the crossing of a border, in many cases a river, to enter the kingdom of death and some of the work openly refer to a canvas by German painter Arnold Böcklin. The emptiness and stillness in the work alludes to an uncanny feeling of a lingering human presence, in flesh or perhaps only in spirit. His eagerly conducted yet subtle paintings are executed in the manner of a magician working his rituals to gain control and power, or that of an alchemist mixing natural resources to finally end up with gold. The result is a dreamy state of a place we all feel we know but can’t make out where it is or where we recognize it from.

”The notion of the landscape in my native Scandinavia is very powerful. The wilderness can be something very soothing as well as frightening and intimidating. Nature’s inherent beauty can simultaneously harbor a threatening streak. In my work I try to get closer to ideas of the landscape, to reveal the fears and threats of the ostensibly calm surfaces of its beauty.”
– Pär Strömberg

In his latest project supported by the Fonds BKVB he visited magus and occultist Aleister Crowleys old villa, the Abbey of Thelema in Sicily to gain inspiration for a new series of work. Crowley is a man whose whole life was dedicated to controlling the mind and obeying the nature and his teachings have been hugely influential to artists and bands such as Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. Coinciding with the opening of the exhibition is the 60th anniversary of Mr. Crowley’s death.

Thanks to:
Magnus Monfeldt
Fonds BKVB
WeSC

More info:Par Stromberg Homepage

Kunstcentrum Catharinakapel
Klooster 1
3841 EN Harderwijk
The Netherlands
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Kunstcentrum Catharinakapel