Hultman explores our collective memory in her interactive, multi-media installations
Petra Hultman receives the 31st annual Beckers Art Award for her ability to visually and personally, no matter the technique, reach out to us viewers in an intelligent and sensitive artistic expression, which testifies of larger and more important issues.
The 34-year-old Hultman, born in the small south-central town of Smålandsstenar, graduated just last spring from the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm. “The Beckers award means an incredible amount to an unestablished artist like me”, says Hultman. “The exhibition at Färgfabriken offers an amazing space to work and the ability to reach out to many more people with what I do”.
For Hultman inspiration often stems from something that’s nagging her. “It might be something I want to try to understand, or have the opportunity to consider from another perspective,” she explains. “Often my work begins with some little thing that I start poking at, which then grows larger and larger before it becomes concentrated down again and can be presented artistically.”
In her latest work, Hultman has beautifully arranged objects from her grandparents’ – handcrafted key cabinets and needlework – alongside a video installation. Hultman herself calls it an on-going investigation of time, labour and value. In the piece she takes us on a journey through her own personal history of her grandparents' craft and daily obsessions while echoing the larger themes of our time like women’s work and the ability of objects to give us comfort.
“Hultman has made her loved ones part of her artistry”, says jury member Mårten Castenfors. “And her art succeeds in enchanting us with a visual format that connects with everyone.”
The Beckers Art Award was established in 1987. Since then it has been awarded to some of Sweden’s most innovative and exciting young artists, including Dan Wolgers (1989), Jockum Nordström (1999), Linn Fernström (2000), and Nathalie Djurberg (2006). The award has a history of identifying young talent on the brink of a breakthrough in their careers. The jury includes Lindéngruppen Chairman Jenny Lindén Urnes, Mårten Castenfors, Head of Liljevalchs Stockholm and Magnus Jensner, Museum Director of Hallands Museum of Art.
As part of the award, the selected artist receives SEK 200,000 and a solo exhibition at Färgfabriken.
Petra Hultman’s work will be on display in the exhibition hall at Färgfabriken in Stockholm from January 27-March 18, 2018.
