Artist Statement
Powerful, tough, challenging, tempting and at the same time vulnerable women play the leading role in the works of Swedish born Birgitta Sundström Jansdotter. Virtuous in her use of art, with historical and contemporary elements. Jansdotter's hybrid paintings tell us stories about the joys and sorrows of human relationships. She places emphasis on the roles and stereotypes women have been traditionally assigned, find themselves in now and should be claiming for themselves in future. Birgitta paints monumental, and with a cheeky wink to the 'normal' rules in painting. Through the hard-edged compositions, minimal pattern, and simplified shapes, the eyes gain the most prominent value. Centralized in the painting and seem to be mirroring the spectator. Often finding recourse in humor, she approaches the subjects combined with the dark side of life, lingering with hope. Missing her native country, she incorporates parts of the Swedish mysterious landscape rich in symbols and myths rendered by imagination and her memories.
Jansdotter has exhibited worldwide in museums, galleries and art fairs from South Korea and Hong Kong, USA, England, Sweden, Italy, Belgium, Spain, Germany, and the Netherlands. Jansdotter has received two art prices in Sweden. In the Netherlands she has been awarded the Jacob Hartog prize (2007) and the Culture Award of Zuidplas (2017).
Birgitta's art reflects the untamed power of the Scandinavian countryside and its wildlife, most notably illustrated by the powerful Viking symbol of strength - the wolf. We often naturally gravitate towards archetypes like this one, as they are instinctively embedded in our psyche. Being a Swede, I'm proud to have Viking blood running through my veins. The female warriors who fought bravely for their country and were respected with admiration by the people make me feel inspired. To think that women were given equal rights and recognition in the Viking era is truly remarkable and heartwarming. Strong female warriors with an outstanding position in society. Their role was not limited to bearing and raising children.
As I go along the lengthy creative journey, my intuition guides me through every step. My ideas keep repeating and transforming until the painting reveals its own unique narrative.
Last Supper
Growing up in Sweden, I have always promoted the notion of equal rights. Therefore, my objective of spreading this message has become my life's mission. My 'Last Supper' art piece reflects this goal where I'm providing women a place at the table. By doing so, I'm hoping to change and rewrite history through my paintings. Numerous remarkable and heroic women throughout history never received the praises that they deserved. Unfortunately, only a few of them were featured in history books.
To bring parity and create visibility for women, I am solely focusing on female subject matters for my artwork. My paintings will depict women in a variety of circumstances and life situations.
The harmony in the world has been disrupted as nature, animals, and women are not given the respect they deserve. The result of this imbalance is an increase in temperatures, natural disasters like fires and storms, earthquakes, floods, and invasions. Diseases too have spread far beyond their means due to the chaos caused by such events.
We have yet to discover that all things are interconnected, with each other intricately linked. Everything is made up of energy and we tend to rely heavily on money as the driving factor in our lives, often taking us out of balance.
