Anna Bjerger’s paintings draw from an extensive archive of images she has collected from sources such as out-of-print books, travel brochures and vintage magazines and catalogues. In this ongoing endeavour, she is immersed in ‘rescuing images from history’. Seemingly mundane photographic moments are elevated through her careful selection and re-presentation, while the luminosity of the oil applied to the smooth aluminium surfaces upon which she paints delights the eye. The anonymity of these incongruent and haunting images—landscapes, figures, animals—is freeing, wherein the subject matter of her work becomes solely centred on painting as an emotive act, capturing and/or enhancing a subtle mood or sensuality. Critic Francesca Astesani is prompted to ask when considering the sensitivities inherent in Bjerger’s paintings, ‘How can an image be given the coolness of water, the softness of wool, the silence of a starry night?’.
Swedish artist Anna Bjerger (Skallsjö, 1973) lives and works in Småland. She received her BA in Fine Art from Central St. Martins School of Art and Design, London (1997) and her MA in Painting from the Royal College of Art, London (2001). Her work is in collections including Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk; Moderna Museet, Stockholm; Statens Museum for Kunst (SMK), Copenhagen; and Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; among others.