“Free Hands”, exhibition of paintings, sculptures and prints by Mats Nordstrom
Venice, Cannateggio.
On September, 6th, the exhibition of mats Nordstrom’s paintings, sculptures and prints was opened in Venice Cannareggio. Mats is a an artist coming from Sweden who is already internationally known. We interviewed him for you.
Mats, is Nordstrom your real or artistic name?
Mats Nordström is my real name.
How would you present this exhibition to your Italian audience?
I would like to invite the Italian audience to view my art by communicating with a visual language of painting, sculpture and prints.
Your native country is Sweden
Which idea linked to Sweden do you think to represent in your paintings and sculptures?
My art is based in the concept of the human condition which is boarderless. It is about us being interconnected as humans and also our connection to this planet and ultimatly to the universe.
Our choices will effect everything. To achive the best outcome, we need to cooperate, as suggested in my ”Tic Tac Toe” series.
Do you think the development of artistic ideas is somehow linked to an artist’s origin?
We all originate from somewhere.
This is only the starting point.
Artistic development of ideas also depend on different education, focus and taking time to expand and deepen your understanding and sensitive bandwidth.
What school of painting and sculpture have you followed when you started as an artist?
My inspiration comes from many areas, such as music, litterature, science, film, nature, etc etc
However, visually I am drawn to artists like Jasper Johns,
Cy Twombly, and the movement of Abstract Expressionism
Painting and sculpture in your art. How do they communicate and/or argue? What kind of projects do you express better in painting and what do you prefer to express by means of sculpture?
I don’t separate between the two.
I try express aspects of our human condition, like emotions, energies and interconnectedness.
Sometimes I find things that resonates with me and have meaning. It helps me in my sculptural work to express my ideas.
What is a colour for you? Is your choice of colours symbolic, realistic or…?
I prefer to use a restricted palette, so I use very few colours.
They express my emotions in various ways.
Mats, you had the inauguration of your Exhibition “Freehands” in Venice Cannareggio on September, 6th. It was the last day of the Venice Film Festival. Is it just a coincidence? Was it your choice to be in Venice during the Festival?
I love good movies, but the opening of my show in Venice on September 6th, was a coincidence.
How are cinema and painting connected, in arts in general and in your creativity in particular?
They are different forms of visual language. Both can be inspirational to me.
Your next exhibition is in the city of Vicenza. What do you appreciate of Vicenza’s history and art?
Italy as a whole is a beautiful country, where the history of different regions run deep.
Vicenza has a lot of beauty, as does Venice. They are different, yet interconnected – just as aspects of my art.
We remind our readers that “Free Hands”, exhibition by Mats Nordstrom, can be visited in Venice Cannareggio till October, 4th. The gallery hosting it is ArteSpazioTempo blades in Campo del Ghetto Nuovo, Cannareggio,Venice
Immediately after this exhibition, another one follows it in the Italian city of Vicenza.
Photos by Vincenzo Testa
Olga Matsyna
