Agnes Hjalmarsson
Artist Statement
Agnes Hjalmarsson was born in Helsingborg in 2002 and is currently residing in Malmö after graduating from Östra Grevie Folkhögskola, where she focused on oil painting.
Her art style explores her own experiences and thoughts regarding themes of ethnicity, relationships, and identity, using her family and the Asian diaspora as a basis. She points out that she tries to highlight the beauty in everyday situations and capture humanity in its mundane glory. In a way, her art is a personal reminder to appreciate and find meaning in the little moments and encounters that make life worthwhile. This motive stemmed from her job in a grocery store in Helsingborg, where she found that she was very fascinated with the regular customers (many of whom were older) that would make their usual shop. This fascination slowly grew to include her including her customers in an oil paint collection entitled "Regulars," capturing their unique features and personalities. Since sharing these customer portraits on TikTok, she has quickly earned a strong following, which is continuing to grow.
Agnes is currently preparing her group exhibition from February 29th to March 10th, 2024, at the Dunkers Kulturhus, Helsingborg.
How did you get started in your artistic journey?
I've been drawing since I was a little kid, but I suppose it became a very important part of my life when I was in middle school. I really hated the school I went to, so I'd spend all my schooldays doodling in my notebooks out of boredom, before finding friends and a community through posting fanart of various shows and bands online!
Describe how your art reflects your artistic journey.
Most of my work is autobiographical, meaning it's a direct mirror of my life and whatever's important to me at the time of creation. Not only by my surroundings in terms of subject matter, but my use of color and brightness also changes with my mental state. For me, my best artwork is not conceptualized finished works, but rather a language through, which I authentically translate my existing surroundings.
How did you develop your creative journey?
Most of it has been chance, or fate? I feel like whenever I've blindly trusted the universe, stopped worrying so much and created through my heart my career has developed a thousand times further compared to when I'm anxiously planning and thinking too much. So, I try my best to keep an open mind and trust in myself.
What is one piece of creative advice you would like to share?
Don't listen to any advice! It's obviously not to be taken literally, but it was my grandfather's way of simply saying trust yourself. It goes for anything in life really, but especially when it comes to art. Your art is a reflection of you and your personal touch is what gives it value. While it's important to get inspiration and share ideas, always take other people's opinions with a grain of salt. Don't even listen to me!
