Fredrik Söderberg

New paintings spring 2012

Snowdrops from a Curate´s Garden I, The Hidden Landscape of Subconscious I, 2012
Watercolour on paper 76 x 54 cm, 33 x 23 cm

Snowdrops from a Curate´s Garden III, The Hidden Landscape of Subconscious III, 2012
Watercolour on paper 54 x 74 cm, 55 x 45cm

Pan II, 2012
Watercolour and leafgold on paper 74 x 54 cm

Two new paintings from the Meditation series

Meditation 27, 2011
Watercolour and leafgold on paper 13 x 13 cm

Meditation 30, 2011
Watercolour and leafgold on paper 24 x 18 cm

Paintings from the book White Stains, by Aleister Crowley

Abysmos, 2011
Watercolour on paper 27 x 18 cm

At Stockholm, 2011
Watercolour and leaf-gold on paper 27 x 18 cm

The Rainbow, 2011
Watercolour on paper 27 x 18 cm

With Dog And Dame An October Idyll, 2011
Watercolour on paper 27 x 18 cm

Yet Time to Turn, 2011
Watercolour on paper 27 x 18 cm

Adul-Rune II

Adul-Rune II, 2011
Watercolour and leaf-gold on paper 76 x 56 cm

Pictures from the forthcoming book,

The Enchanted Park by Astrid Trotzig and me.

Published by Wanås Art, 2011

Watercolour and leaf gold on paper 30 x 30 cm, each, 2011

Pictures from the exihibition A Journey Back and Forth
at Historiska Museet, Stockholm Sweden 2011

Interior from the collectors room 2011, lead glass, stuffed animals,
water colours, human bones, etc

Adul-Rune 2011

Adul-Rune, 2011
Watercolour on paper 32 x 24 cm

Night Spirits & Day Spirits

Night Spirits, 2009
Watercolour on paper 50 x 28 cm

Day Spirits, 2009
Watercolour on paper 50 x 28 cm

Pictures from my trip to the old world, Egypt 2011

New Pictures spring 2011

C.G . Jungs House with Mandala, 2011
Watercolour on paper 76 x 56 cm

Johannes Itten Composition, 2011
Watercolour on paper 64 x 54 cm

The Temple in the Morning, 2011
Watercolour on paper 76 x 56 cm

Serpent Sun, 2011
Watercolour on paper 45 x 34 cm

New paintings for the Nordic Delight exhibition at SI, Paris 8 Oct 2010

The Anatomy of Sexuality IV - Franz von Bayros Dream, 2010

Watercolour on paper 150 x 100 cm

The Anatomy of Sexuality V - The Fountain of Fortune, 2010

Watercolour on paper 150 x 100 cm

Summer Solstice II, 2010

Watercolour on paper 74 x 54 cm

AOS III - The Black Spirit in my Dreams, 2010

Watercolour on paper 105 x 76 cm

Pictures of some powerful objects from ancient times and Dr. John Dee´s working tools, London June 2010

New Works Summer 2010

Konx Om Pax, 2011

Watercolour on paper 76 x 56 cm

AOS III - The Black Spirit in my Dreams, 2010

Watercolour on paper 105 x 76 cm

AOS Woodcut Portrait, 2010

Watercolour on paper 40 x 28 cm

Installation view Milliken Gallery Volta Art Fair, 2010

Review in Frieze Magazine 2010 by Jacquelyn Davis

Fredrik Söderberg

Published on 20/04/10 Frieze Magazine

MILLIKEN GALLERY , STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN

This striking collection of Fredrik Söderberg’s watercolour paintings, entitled ‘We Pray to the Sun and Hail the Moon’, may inspire engaged viewers to question their relationship with infinity and perhaps even dissuade some from swallowing the world’s investment with spiritual redemption or continuing to embrace a detached narcissism. Söderberg’s charm lies in his explorative mapping of self-reflective spiritualisms, as well as in his ability to create provocative microcosms inspired by our own spheres – even if his works may appear cryptic to some.

Linked to the transcendental teachings of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and Aleister Crowley’s philosophies on ceremonial magic and the occult, these unearthed energies are a fresh discovery for those who find themselves removed from any form of spiritualism. Much like Crowley’s wide array of eclectic interests, Söderberg’s paintings investigate the unknown from diverse angles. At first glance, rich watercolours such as Avebury (2009) appear to be timeless landscapes when they are actually secular perspectives focused on the geographies of meditation and transformation. Others, such as Summer Solstice (2008) and The Beginning of Magick II (2008), are extreme in their quest to enlighten the viewer about the pervasive foundation fuelling the occult. These paintings visually interpret hierarchical connections between energy and power through balanced geometries and the recurring presence of cosmic forces – a massive sun or seductive moon – reminding one of a secret Masonic history or ancient Egyptian influences.

Some of Söderberg’s paintings appear to be more preoccupied with a mysterious means to a justifiable spirituality rather than any specific end. In Mandragora (2009), the artist painted a solitary mandrake root suspended, presented as an object worthy of further examination. For the mandrake root is directly associated with occult practices, facilitating rituals and harbouring mythologies related to its own hallucinogenic powers and aphrodisiacal abilities. In Ritual II (2009), time has stopped and the moment of the sacrificial act – whether it is sinister or harmless – becomes the true focal point. Viewers may find themselves questioning the border between psychosexual effrontery and pre-emptive violence.

Such explorations into the occult remain appealing because this cosmic voyage, in part, embodies and preserves the core existential concepts of modern works such as Albert Camus’ The Rebel (1956), in which he writes, ‘But from the moment when a movement of rebellion begins, suffering is seen as a collective experience. Therefore the first progressive step for a mind overwhelmed by the strangeness of things is to realize that this feeling of strangeness is shared with all men and that human reality, in its entirety, suffers from the distance which separates it from the rest of the universe … I rebel – therefore we exist.’ Söderberg cultivates this singular feeling of strangeness that we collectively experience as human beings. Placing emphasis on cultural faux-pas and exception, ‘We Pray to the Sun and Hail the Moon’ exhibits the contradictory influences of cultural artefacts versus the fantastic – but not as they were meant to be initially consumed. Herein lies the beauty of representation. The freedom to rebel is often followed by delightful confusion; Söderberg has managed to instigate both aforementioned sentiments, clearing a trail for the unpredictable. ‘He makes solemn claims for his art spawning alternative experiences,’ comments Ronald Jones in an accompanying exhibition essay, ‘especially where the mysteries of life are concerned. In this sense Söderberg’s art discovers new spiritual vistas, while being earnest, proactive, pre-scientific, and post-critical. His art is allergic to irony.’ Perhaps there is hope for the diligent and searching after all.

Jacquelyn Davis