Astrid Sylwan

Fluidity and color characterize the abstract paintings of Belgian-born artist Astrid Sylwan, which are often packed with cascading, overlapping shapes. Sylwan grew up surrounded by her grandfather’s paintings and received some classical artistic training before enrolling at Konstfack, University of Arts, Crafts and Design. Sylwan has received public commissions around Sweden, including one for the façade of Stockholm Sjukhem hospital—a 35-meter long painting called Vessels (2013) depicting prismatic, pillar-like forms. She also collaborated with renowned Finnish textile company Marimekko in 2011, producing a pattern called Vattenblänk (glittering water) based on her painted work and inspired by the movement of falling water. Sylwan accentuates the viscosity of paint in her large-scale works by using scrapers, broad paintbrushes, and knives, and pouring paint directly onto her canvases. Sylwan’s work is collected by Moderna Museet.