1/12

#520 State And Capital

Johan Söderström

2024 • Norway • Cement on Wood

33 x 25 in

Sold

You love this artwork, but it’s already been sold?

Good news! This artist conducts commissioned work. They can create a custom-made artwork for you, inspired by what you liked about the previous piece. You choose the dimensions and we negotiate the price!

Your request

Your Email Address

Phone number

You can also call us at +1 646-844-3541

Have a question?

Johan Söderström

Norway

Related collection

Artworks Inspired by Joseph Walsh

169 pieces

Artist highlights

Major permanent collection
Prizewinner
Favorited by galleries
Featured in gallery curations
Works on commission

Discover the creation in interiors

Artwork details

Medium : Cement on Wood
Other details : Artwork on wood. Artwork framed.
Dimensions : 33.1x25.2in

About this artwork

Filler on board, oak panel
My works are cast in oak panels using standard wall filler (not cement).

In this work, I used a pantograph to simultaneously make two identical drawings of different sizes. I borrowed the title from a song by the Swedish prog band Blå Tåget - "One hand knows what the other is doing". In a capitalist society, state and capital are two sides of the same thing. It's not a question of copy and original. There is neither a… puppet master nor a master plan, but they interact and guide each other subtly towards a common goal.

The song questions the notion of peace. From a privileged position like mine, war definitely seems like the ultimate horror. But even if it is challenging, it is essential to remember that peace may come with a price that is possibly even worse. There can be no peace until all are free. Not freedom in a liberal, individual understanding - the freedom to exploit and oppress, but true freedom. The freedom from exploitation and oppression.

Johan Söderström

Norway

Credentials

Major permanent collection
Prizewinner
Favorited by galleries
Featured in gallery curations
Works on commission

« I am interested in process-based painting, and the profound solitude of the human mind. While exploring one, I sometimes try to formulate something about the other, and how it affects our relationship with the outside world. »

Johan Söderström is a nationally-distinguished Norwegian painter. His works consist of layers of filler where various fields are laid beside each other, like pieces in a puzzle, and he uses his unique technique to emphasize cracks, textures and other aspects the material's own history. He primarily explores the theme of human alienation, and aims to ensure that his aesthetic can be perceived in ways simple enough to diminish the distance between viewer and work.

Go to Johan Söderström's page

Johan Söderström

#520 State And Capital

You love this artwork, but it’s already been sold?