Mikael Sandblom’s work is based on extensive observations of clouds and waves. Rather than a literal depiction of these phenomena, the artwork represents the experience of sustained attention interwoven with a free-associative state of mind that is induced when you look at nature very carefully.
Contradictory geometries materialize and dissipate, while fragments of memory intermingle with imagined structures. The art pieces embody a form of dream logic, positioning the viewer as an active participant in the creative process.
Approach Sandblom’s artworks as you would observe clouds and waves outdoors. Allow yourself to become immersed in their geometric complexity, and remain attentive to the unexpected pathways your thoughts may explore.
Recent Work: Clouds
Click on an image for a larger view
Recent Work: Horizons
Click on an image for a larger view
Older Work: Phosphenes
My new work combines photography and digital illustration. The pieces are printed on photo paper and laminated between an aluminum dibond backing and 1/8″ acrylic. The images are based on my photos of clouds and waves. Outlines, tracings, maps and diagrams are layered over the photos in a way analogous to how we interpret, map and analyze our environment. Throughout the surface, fragments of images float into focus and then recede as the eye moves on to other elements.
The work reflects a world where nothing is solid or permanent. It’s our act of perception that brings elements into being and dissolves them again. What we see in the world is not what is ‘objectively’ out there; most of it is a projection of ideas that we’ve formed or learned.
For me, these pieces are an exercise in self-awareness of the assumptions and presuppositions that one inevitably carries around. It may be impossible to see the world as it truly and fully is, but it’s easy to fool oneself into thinking that you can.
Links to more information about me about my work:
Portfolio
See images a descriptions of my latest work and scroll through to older pieces and projects.
CV
See a detailed a detailed history of my art career.
Studio Notes
A collection of notes from the studio, including exhibition news, material experiments, reflections on perception and representation, and observations on the work of other artists. These texts document the questions, processes, and conversations that shape the development of the work.
News
Updates on exhibitions, public art projects, acquisitions, publications, and other developments in my practice.
Process
Technical notes, material experiments, and working methods. These posts explore the practical side of the studio, from photographic and digital processes to printing, layering, drawing, and the construction of finished artworks.
Reflections
Short essays and studio reflections on perception, representation, architecture, photography, and the systems through which we construct meaning. These texts are not explanations of the work so much as notes from an ongoing investigation.
Observations
Writing on exhibitions, artworks, and artists whose work has informed my thinking. These posts are responses to encounters with contemporary art and an extension of the same attentive looking that informs my studio practice.
Books
Over the last couple of years I’ve compiled artwork and writing into small art books. They are softcover books 7” x 7”
Leave a Reply