NAME: LINDA LOVISA FJERNQVIST
PROFESSION: ILLUSTRATOR
LOCATION: STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN
http://www.lindalovisa.com/

How would you describe your work and style with three words?
details, fashion and fairy tales.

When did you realize you wanted to be an illustrator? 
since I was a baby and got my first crayons. I used to draw big imaginary worlds with people and dream horses and tell stories from it to my little sister.

What has been your favorite project/assignment so far? 
Almost everything is fun in their own way, but I love to work at a project for a long time and really get to sink in to it. Like last spring when I made “Dreams of Salikon”, a big project that ended up in an exhibition with my illustrations, a fashion show and live music.

What never fails to inspire you?
Nature, specially underwater worlds. Different types of textures. The idea of the old world.

Which living person do you most admire?
It varies a lot, no one in particularly.

Which is your favorite color and why? 
My color scale is quite mild, in lack of a better word.

In your portfolio we see some beautiful illustrations of women.  How do they inspire you to draw? 
I think it has to do with identification, in some way all the women are me or parts of me. On the other hand I love to draw details and structures, and in fashion illustration I really get to do that. Besides from that I love great, powerful poses, it really inspires me.

What’s your plan for the 2012?
2012 is the year of the books, I have two in the back of my head only waiting to get the time to come out on paper. Other than that I will work a lot, get an old summer house and have a big 30s birthday party!

I Could Sink – Animated movie by Linda Lovisa Fjernqvist

VILLA is a conceptual art shop and showroom in the city center of Stockholm focusing on modern art. The concept is created by gallerist Jonas Kleerup in collaboration with the design company Kurppa Hosk and the Swedish architects Boys Don’t Cry and debuted as a pop up-store at Biblitoteksgatan 10 in central Stockholm during October 2010, but now resides close to Kungsträdgården and the Royal Opera, at Jakobs Torg 3.

http://kurppahosk.com/new/villa/

Not maybe pop art – but definitely bringing art to the people when photo museum Fotografiska last year showed artist Klara Källström.
“In Klara Källströms’ Blackdrop Island, she plays with the idiom “to dig where you stand”. What happens if you do that? – You come to the other side of the planet. The photographs were taken during a stay in Tokyo in 2008 and a revisit in 2010. Documenting things at night, when darkness creates black backdrops and only allows us see a bit of the scenery, is something that occupies Klaras’ interest.
http://klarp.se/bdi/index.htm

Another interesting attempt, this one bringing art to the open air was the wild HYENAS – an illegal art installation that the Stockholmers could experience in the midst of the Swedish summer. Maybe not the best one as far of execution, but definitely interesting and different. The street art project included of a group of concrete hyenas placed in the urban jungle of Stureplan in Stockholm. An artist named Mr Olabo claimed to be the brain behind the installation. We love the fact that it was done! And hope we will see more of that in the 2012.

By Carolina Krupinska

Is true talent being drowned out in an ocean of digital rubbish? Two young Swedish filmmakers David Dworsky ( age 26) and Victor Köhler (age 23) have made a documentary focusing on creative culture in a digital age – entitled PressPausePlay.

The award-winning film, which premiered earlier this year at SXSW, was made by the lads’ Stockholm-based creative agency House of Radon. The documentary examines the impact of readily-available digital technology on today’s culture of art, film, music and literature. And features an all-star cast including Moby, Seth Godin, Robyn, Lykke Li, Andrew Keen, Sean Parker and Hot Chip.

At its core the documentary looks at whether true talent is being drowned out by mediocrity (think Rebecca Black and the like). But overall the film creates an open dialogue with its guests, which goes from one end of the spectrum to the other. As Seth Godin puts it:
“This changes everything. The industry is dead. There has never been a better time to be an artist”. Whereas renowned author Andrew Keen takes a somewhat different approach, claiming:
“We are on the verge of a new dark age. The creative world is destroyed. All we have is cacophony and self opinion”.

Whatever side of the fence you sit on; this documentary is definitely worth a watch. And the best part is the lads, somewhat ironically, have made it completely free to watch. Just visit the film’s site and download the very cool interactive app, which includes the film plus full-interviews, music and other goodies.

By Samuel Sweetman

“By promoting 1 hour of day time dancing we make it possible to fully embody the buzzwords of playfulness, participation & community. A physical knowledge that will make you create magic during the rest of your day too, and so will make Lunch Beat your week’s most important business lunch.” (Taken from Lunch Beat website)

Life takes us through certain paths that develop into memorable journeys. Those journeys become unforgettable experiences.  Experiences that make our hearts beat faster, those we learn to talk about and share. Moments we’d like everyone we know to be a part of.  Molly Ränge, founder of Lunch Beat kindly shares her moments with us. Those that formed her and guided her towards the successful projects she carries out today.

What would you say your current job title is?

Concept developer and process designer. Basically I construct the frame work for where others can develop or work in.

You’ve worked on many interesting projects, could you tell us about one of your favorite projects?

I studied project management at the university of Malmo. Once I finished my studies I got a job at the university. I thought a few classes in Event Production, Project Management and Cultural Policies. Event Production course was very practical and had about 20 students. During the course,their task was to arrange a club night at a venue which held about 800 people they were responsible for all aspects and had only one month to produce. It was actually one of my best memories in relation to work. The event was extremely successful, there were 800+ guests and the students were extremely happy with their accomplishments. And I, consequentially happy for them. That was something that helped me realize what kinds of roles I like to take.

Could you tell us a bit about what the Lunchbeat concept is and how it started?

It started with my love for dancing and my love for work. I love work but find it very frustrating to go out at night, and if I go out at night I find it very frustrating to go to work in the morning. So what if we could have the club at lunch time? and by having that, it could  help me with motivation through out the rest of my day. A win win situation!

The first lunch beat was in June 2010, in the car garage at my job.  We had the keys to the garage and we had a boom box. So we sent out some invitations.  Our first club had 14 people.

If you could have any DJ or musician play at Lunch Beat who would it be?

On an international level I would love to have Busy P playing at Lunchbeat. If I should go more local or into the not-yet-super-famous-but-should-be genre, I had my best dance experiences to Mattias Almlund (aka. Tiaz) sets in Malmö.

Where else could you see the Lunch Beat concept working as successfully as here

in Stockholm?

It has to be cities that have a concentrated “lunch area” and cities that have a lunch gap in common. They’ve done it in Malmö where the business area and lunch areas are quite spread out, so the impact was lesser than the one we had here in Stockholm.

With experience in the electronic music scene could you give us your take on the overall Swedish Music scene today?

I’ve actually reached a stage where I get really bored when I enter unwelcoming clubs. Those clubs that live strong on having an attitude. I’ve acquired a different experience from clubbing abroad. When you are used to everyone embracing you, and you’re at clubs that are build solely on happiness and dancing. I would like to have that here in Stockholm.

However, I love the live acts here in Sweden. Sweden is very welcoming to live acts for example acts like Little Dragon, This is Head, and Wildbirds and Peacedrums. That scene is a much better scene than the club scene.

What changes could you make to Sweden’s music scene?

Something I would like to see more of here is musical experiences presented in a way where they can be enjoyed by larger groups and different situations. Rather than always at a concert.

What are the next steps for The Lunch Beat?

Well, for me the next thing is to try to build Lunch Beat as a self structured organization that would let me step back and let it run on its own. As of now, I’ve received a lot of attention about being the one “behind” Lunch Beat but I can get a bit uncomfortable with the attention. Because as I said before my ambition is to work kinda “behind the scenes” creating a framework for others to create and build. And I would love to see that someone else would try it out in Stockholm.  I would like it to became something like the flash mob trend, where people wouldn’t have to ask me for permission to do it.

 http://www.lunchbeat.org/

By Vanessa Gil

Welcome, Passerby © Kerstin Hamilton

A Melody for Grandpa © Erika Hedman
The New Nordic Photography exhibition at Göteborg’s Hassleblad Museum features nine newly graduated Bachelors and Masters students who are competing for Victor Fellowships, named after the Hassleblad Foundation’s founder, to London and New York.

Erika Hedman’s “A Melody for Grandpa” is a series which follows a young girl’s visit to her grandparents’ house. For all we know, the subject matter could be Little Red Riding Hood, with her crimson dress and flowing locks. Both items are emphasized in different photographs. The girl holds a harmonica and your eyes immediately focus on her hands, against the backdrop of the dress. In another, her waist-length hair catches your attention as she stands on a rock in the forest, holding onto a branch and blocking her face with her arms.

In a portrait, the girl stares intently at something away from the camera — her dark hair covering the left side of her face while her other grey eye glimmers with light. The viewer also feels like an intruder, looking in from the other side of the doorway, as she and her grandmother are sitting on the bed, locked in an embrace. In the field, she leans in to listen to grandpa whispering in her ear, and the smile on her face is priceless. They also go for a walk in the woods, holding hands and wearing matching rubber boots.

To capture “Welcome, Passerby,” Kerstin Hamilton spent six weeks in Lesjöfors, Sweden, a small which isn’t known for much. In her statement, she notes, “I left to return to the city, convinced that this is how people ought to live,. This is the life.”

Hamilton, a native of Värmland, works with portraits, landscapes and even includes audio from the local choir sessions. She attended the meetings to connect to her neighbors and become a member of the community. Some of her portraits include relevant text–a female factory work with a statement about traditional social democratic ideals; there is a young girl in a black dress above the words “In the Swedish National Encyclopedia, ‘industrial community’ is described as a patriarchal society.” Her landscapes include a quiet street scene and a house with an overflowing greenhouse. Despite the grey skies, both images are flooded with various shades of green and yellow, from the surrounding trees and grass.

Casia Bomberg includes self-portraits in “Bonding/Come Closer.” In the two photographs from the “Bonding” series, there is an extra set of hands holding the photographer. She holds own her face as the stranger’s hands caress her hair; she is contemplating something and is deep in thought. “Come Closer” shows the photographer hugging, holding, straddling and even getting a piggy-back ride in contemporary settings. The various locations include a playground, a shopping plaza, a park, and a sidewalk littered with broken beer bottles.

The complete list of the 2011 Victor Fellowships includes:
The Bachelor-group: Casia Bromberg, Joachim Fleinert, Mandi Gavois, Erika Hedman
The Master-group: Sven Drobnitza, Kerstin Hamilton, Linda Hofvander, David Molander, Johannes Samuelsson

The exhibition runs from May 28 until August 21 at the Hasselblad Foundation’s Exhibition Hall, which is located in the Göteborg Museum of Art.

http://www.hasselbladfoundation.org/new-nordic-photography-2011/

By Kamni Kieran

All images © Sarah Otley 2011
Click on + sign to see more of Sarah’s amazing illustrations

New Zealand born, Stockholm-based architect and illustrator Sarah Otley has put together a series of cognizant-cool sketches heavily influenced by her experience living in Sweden. The sketches were done as a side-project as Sarah is part of the super-talented Monki design team.

The collection takes inspiration from the city’s built environment; Sarah has used landmarks, cultural heritage and some quirky everyday Stockholm happenings to pull together a story of 26 pieces. Anyone who lives in, or has visited Stockholm, will no doubt recognise aspects of their experience in the illustrations – aesthetically combining traditional illustration, graphic design and architectural rendering.

Currently on display until June 23 at Köpmanbrinken 2, Gamla Stan in Stockholm.
http://sarahotley.com/

By Samuel Sweetman

On the 1st of July from 6pm onwards get along to the Thomas & Kniven gallery in Stockholm for A Weekend Of Posters by 5070. The 5070 collective are a group of individuals who each month create new posters based on a certain theme – as chosen by its members – such as Celebration, Refinement, Whatever and Space. A few of the artists include Johan Hjerpe, Malin Gabriella Nordin, Nille Svensson and Jacob Åström.

The exhibition is to celebration 6 months of the poster project – and posters of 50 x 70 will be on sale alongside some DJs, beer, new friends and an after party! All welcome.

Friday July 1th, 2011
6PM – 11PM
Thomas och Kniven
St Eriksgatan 70
Stockholm, Sweden

By Samuel Sweetman

Artist Ragnar Persson was born 29 years ago in Tavelsjö, a village of outside Umeå in northern Sweden. Today he lives and works in Stockholm, where he also graduated from Konstfack (Sweden’s largest university of arts) in 2007.
Like any skillful artist, Persson has an ability to affect and arouse the viewer, and, figuratively speaking, bring them someplace else. In this case – back to emo day of teen years.

Persson’s artwork forms a webbing of skulls, animals, and the occasional idol at the current exhibition wall at Kulturhuset, a cultural and art center located in downtown Stockhlm. It’s all quite rough, yet, tender. The pieces of scotch, still stuck in the corners of some of the illustrations, brings a whole lotta authenticity to his work. And that Persson’s heart belongs to the DIY-movement (he’s also a zine-maker amongst other things) is palpable. An ambiguous feeling of nostalgia grips you; it’s beautiful, bizarre, humorous, and weird. Just like those years.

There’s a quote by the artist that reads:
“When I was 14, I didn’t even understand that I was making art, but was just trying to copy what I liked. Like the punk group Black Flags detailed album cover, or by drawing the Metallica logo. “
A modest reflection over a complex matter, known as art.

The exhibition När mörkret faller (When darkness falls) is on display at Kulturhuset in Stockholm, January 29 – March 27. Free admission.
Ragnar Persson was The Swede Beat’s artist of the month in issue #20: Swedish Melancholia

By Elena Tillman Sperandio

Living in Stockholm – well here’s your chance to colour the town red.

Colour By Numbers is a light installation situated in Telefonplan, Stockholm.
It was first inaugurated in 2006 but recently become permanent from January 14th this year.

The art piece is positioned in a 72-meter high tower, which over 50 years ago belonged to Ericsson, the telecommunications provider, and was used to test microwave antennas.
Since then the art college Konstfack has moved in and the area has become a hotspot for young artists, designers and creative entrepreneurs.

The tower’s windows are filled with coloured light, a mix between green, blue and red. What makes this installation interactive is that anyone can change the colours in the tower using their mobile phones – like a remote control (see instructions below).
Colours By Numbers also serves as a political statement, contributing to the debate of democracy and public space in Stockholm.

This ambitious art project was founded in collaboration between interactive designer Loove Broms, architect Milo Lavé and artist Erik Krikortz and can be seen live here

Instructions from website:
1. Call 020-720 200 and follow the instructions to colors the tower. The call is free and limited to five minutes. To see a live view of the tower as you change colors, click on the “live” tab above.

2. Select the floors you wish to colors by pressing the digits 0 to 9, 0 being the bottommost floor, and 9 the topmost. Finish by pressing #. At any time, you can press * to go back and change your selection of floors.

3. Colors the selected floors. Any colors can be created by mixing red, green and blue. The digits 1 to 3, the top row of numbers on your telephone, control red. 1 gives less red, and 3 gives more. The middle row controls green. 4 gives less green, and 6 more. The bottom row controls blue. 7 give less blue, and 9 more. On certain telephones (e.g. Iphone), you may have to press several times to change the colors. When you have finished colorings, you can press * to go back and select other floors

http://www.colourbynumbers.org

By Samuel Sweetman

The Swede Beat picks four favorite artists published in our monthly issues through the year:

Artist Of The Month in issue # 20: RAGNAR PERSSON

Artist Of The Month in Issue # 18: MATHIAS STERNER

http://www.mathiassterner.com/

Artist Of The Month in Issue # 19: BEATA BOUCHT

http://www.beataboucht.com/

Artist Of The Month in issue #13: PMKFA

http://www.pmkfa.com/

The Swedish textile design group Ten Swedish Designers -10 Gruppen is currently having a retrospective at Dunkers Culture House in Helsingborg, Sweden. Ten Swedish Designers was founded in 1970, when a group of ten young textile artists and designers joined together. This newfound cooperation took its departure from a frustration of the textile industry and the gap between designers and buyers. Each member experienced having their prints rejected and classified as non-commercial and unsaleable. By working together they were able to produce the designs they liked and have control over the entire process; from sketches to the fabrics displayed in the stores.

Today the group is down to three designers but they still kept the original name. The designs from Ten Swedish Designers have characteristic big prints, often found in bright colors. The group has achieved great success since their humble start, producing more than 30 collections which includes 600 printed fabrics and wallpapers.

They sell their fabrics, oil cloths, tote bags, toilet bags and other accessories at their flag ship store in Stockholm and at several retailers in Scandinavia and outside. The recently opened up a web shop so a visit is highly recommended to get inspired by Swedish craft work at its best.

http://www.tiogruppen.com/

By Maja Gunn

Every day should be a nice day. Nice to you. Nice people around you. Nice to our planet.

Swedish artist/designer Aron Kullander-Östling in collaboration with Rikard Heberling makes this accomplishment a lot easier with a remake of the classic plastic bag printed Thank you and Have A Nice Day. This limited edition of earth savers was made earlier this year and consist of 50 canvas bags sewn, screen printed and designed by this newcomer on the Swedish design scene.
Pamphlets was included in the bags that read “Do Something Drastic, Cut The Plastic” – A statement everyone should include in their daily affirmations.

Kullander-Östling graduated from Beckmans School Of Design last year and has been involved in a number of creative projects so far. Check out his work here

Q&A: Slobodan Zivic
Stockholm, Sweden.
Graphic designer, illustrator, creative.
Artist of the month issue #17.

Where are you born and raised?
Norrköping, Sweden, 1976. I moved to Stockholm 1999.

When and why did you become a visual artist?
I always loved everything visual; it was the visual expression and art that triggered my passion for music, fashion, pop art and design. When I started skateboarding the great pleasure were all the visual elements of the culture; the stickers graphics, clothing and of course the board designs. It was through skateboarding and graffiti that I acknowledge an interest architecture and contemporary art.

What interest you in visual communication?
Most of the people outside the visual world of communication don’t reflect about that the design makes us see the world as we see it today. It is the design and how we present it that help us make decisions in music, fashion and lifestyle.

How would you describe your style?
My ambition is that people see my design as something as the spirit of our time. I experience our time as fast; complex in good and in bad ways, everyone and everything is a trademark. Our time is fascinating in many ways for me historically. From 9/11 to Obama even though my great imprint was the 80’s. Of course it don’t need to be political, I’m inspired of night life, art scene, fashion like Margiela and music from Grace Jones, Fever Ray to M.I.A.

How do incorporate graphic design, illustration, fashion architecture in your work?
I try to do a twist of thing that has been done before to something new, as simple as that.

Favorite project so far and why?
Favorite so far is the Oskar Linnros campaign. I learned so much on the way, and had opportunity working with great artists and people that inspires me as Christian Coinbergh, Oskar him self, Jonas Wikström, Marcus Engstrand, Hedvid Jenning and Sofie Krunegård. But I also had good time creating for Sebastian Ingrosso, the restaurant interiors and our prior exhibitions.

Can you tell me about the process and ideas behind this campaign?
For the Album I chose to interpret the phenomenon of ”Minstrel” the act of applying blackface in the early 1800’s, when white performers began rubbing burnt cork on their face during minstrel shows to portray African-Americans in a negative way. During the early part of the 20th century, more and more Caucasian actors blackened their faces to become African-Americans on the stage, in the movies and on TV.
The process was to start out in a classical big band fashion; the artwork for the singles is black and white and only about the face behind the music. The logotype was for me important to feel futuristic to contrast the photo art.
I hired photographer Christian Coinbergh because I know he would deliver, as he sure did! The debut album is acclaimed by the critics and in the roam as we speak.

Can you tell me a little bit about Södermalm and why you think it’s considered the creative center of Stockholm?
I don’t really know the history of why Södermalm was chosen by the musicians, artists and other creative people, the only thing I know is that I liked it here, it’s creative atmosphere in contrary to the rest of this city. And of course because my friends and family lives here.

http://www.slobodanzivic.com/

Taking an alternative route in Swedish contemporary art This Must Be The Place is an interesting addition to Swedish emerging art scene. The art project is shaped as a book including 42 Swedish artists in various media: painting, illustration, photography and more.
The essential goal for the book is to highlight a talented group of young Swedish artists that were selected from the 2500 submissions founders Carl-Johan Wirsell, Katarina Löthman Kaliff, Olle Halvars Franzén and Ola Möller received since the initial stage of the project in 2008, and to design a platform for creators in visual art to facilitate ways of showing their art to a broader audience.
To fulfill the goal of making art more accessible This Must Be The Place is available online, as an e-book. If you want to get your hands on the real copy head over to Adlibris and Konst-ig
Some favorites from this talented bunch include:

Painter, Alexander Falldén

Photographer, Otto Lindstam

Painter, Joanna Ageborg

CAROLINA KRUPINSKA

After several years as an awarded graphic designer, Carolina has finally found the freedom to let her apparent artistic talent flap its wings. As a traveler aficionado Krupinska draws from a mix of global influences and explores the adventure and freedom in her artistic work. She is a curious and creative soul who breath world-wide cultures and constantly let them inspire her work and creative thinking.
Growing up amongst a family of renowned architects, Carolina was brought up as an aesthetic dreamer. As a young girl, she early developed a passion for design, drawing and photography.
Soon after graduating from high school she jumped on the first flight to London and kicked in the doors at famous St. Martin’s College of Art & Design, to study graphic design and magazine production. Upon return to Sweden and more studying, she was drawn to Warszaw to live and connect with her background and Polish heritage.
Since her professional debut a few years back she has worked with clients such as Helly Hansen, Lexus, Bang & Olufsen and Ramlösa and more.

Now she has 3 years of living in New York city added to her main inspiration source. The past years Krupinska built a steady network of other creative heads, which resulted in a few collaborations and projects. A steady set of talents, social skills and courage is the key recipe to make it New York. Luckily, Miss Krupinska posses all three qualities and is definitely on the right path to make it in New York.

Her simplistic, yet emotional work leaves an imprint long after laying your eyes upon them. Above a series of minimalist illustrations that clearly demonstrate Krupinska’s talent in minimalist art and playful expressions.

http://carolinakrupinska.com/

By LK

Artist Interview With PMFKA in Tokyo

This fine mind is one of our favorites artists from the Swedish graphic design scene—that is, if you can call his scene Swedish. After all, he has been a resident of Denmark, the United Kingdom and Japan for the last decade. The work of this Tokyo local, can be described as a multifunctional platform characterized by psychedelic aesthetics, bright colors and 3D. His work spans into the fields of art, music and fashion. His brilliant portfolio includes clients such as Adidas, Sixpack France, DC Shoes, Nudie jeans, Wesc, Junior Senior and Lo-Fi-Fnk. Through the years PMKFA has explored plenty of different styles, creating diverse work with a high level of quality.
http://www.pmkfa.com/
Interview by LL, Text By LK

A couple of weeks ago The Swede Beat’s Louise Lund went to Tokyo and met this brilliant designer in his office located in Aoyama, Tokyo sit down for a more in-depth talk with one of our favorite Swedish creators, “PMFKA” or simply Micke Thorsby.

So how come he made the move from a familiar London scene to Tokyo?
The choice was easy for me, my girlfriend had to move back and I had been to Tokyo before, so I was like there’s no other option than to move with her.

What’s your main source of inspirations?
It’s hard to pinpoint a specific source of inspirations, it all depends on what kind of project I’m working on.
Something that was pretty sick, was going to Greece and Athens, seeing the ruins of old Acropolis, the contrasts and standing in front of a big piece of history like that.
Just breathing old history and be standing in our present is a pretty insane feeling.

How do you look at the hype of being a Scandinavian person in Japan?
I think it’s a misconception that Scandinavian culture would be extra popular in Japan….everything is popular here.
I’ve gotten more recognition from the Western countries being here than from the local community.

How come you’re not working in Sweden?
I’m too restless to work within the Swedish design frame. I think my taste is too extrovert for that scene. I mean i defiantly think you can see some Swedish language in my work, but it’s nothing I strive to do.

Toughest transition with making the move to Tokyo?
Japan is a country with minimal immigration. The VISA situation is probably the trickiest and the rest sort of just comes along.
The social game is also hard to understand in the beginning. Meaning you’ll meet people get along, but maybe never see them again, there’s this layer you have to break through in order to be seen as a real friend.

How come you’re not working more with the music industry and what’s your relationship to music?
I wish I could work more with music projects, but unfortunately there’s no money in it and I have to pay my rent like everyone else.
Music is a big part of my life, it keeps me inspired and creates ideas for my projects, I DJ sometimes at smaller venues. Dropping dirty hip hop, Bmore and screw as you probably understand that scene is not overwhelmingly big in Tokyo, but it’s something I do for mine and my friends pleasure.

What would you say has been you best project so far?
I love all of my collaborations with French SixPack. But again, it’s hard to say something specific, I love the variety of projects I get.
The exhibition we did back in February was pretty insane. For that project I stepped out of my own box and created pieces made out of plastic cast, using techniques such as laser and wood cut.
Even though working with big companies may look impressive on your resume, I probably prefer to work with smaller ones, where the creative freedom is bigger and I feel you’re being a part of creating something major.

Who’s your favorite client?
One of my favourite clients are DC. They give me ultimate creative freedom as well as having a chunky budget to play around with. It’s like being a kid in a candy store. I’m moving forward in my collaboration with them and will do design for shoes as well as develop new packaging for them.

So we’ve been told that you’re also doing a little clothing line, tell me about it.
It’s just a small Tshirt line I started in 2006. The problem isn’t the demand for it, time management is an issue, it has to fall back in favor for my regular job. It’s hard to juggle it all, I mean there’s so much more to creating a line, being a sales rep and so on.
The small scale clothing line has its printer located in Osaka. From its start in 2006, about 2500 tshirts has been printed and sold under the PMFKA brand. It currently has about 20 retailers, mostly located in Europe.

On June 4th art lovers in big apple will be able to experience his art via the traveling art show hosted by Scion Audio/Visual. The alternative art gallery Eastern District in Bushwick, Brooklyn is opening its doors for gallery goers to view the abstract and avant-garde video work of 10 visual artists. PMFKA’s contribution is called ” Spectral Heights, a stop-motion piece, painting a vivid picture of abstract landscape. For this piece PMFKA also did the sound bits.

Tell us a about your contribution to Scions traveling Art show
I liked Sci-Fi before the whole computerized era, back when people worked with optic and usually very cheap solutions to create pictures beyond our normal world.

Below an interview made by Scion Installation 6 to promote the tour:

http://www.scion.com/installation/

Q&A WITH GRAPHIC DESIGNER AND DJ: A LOWE THING. ARTIST OF THE MONTH IN JUNE

Please state name, age and your city of residence
Lowe Steiner, I’m 29 and live in Stockholm, Sweden

You’re a man with many hats, what titles do you respond to?
Graphic designer, Illustrator and DJ

When would you say you started as a Graphic Designer and what made you make that move?
I’ve always been fascinated by pictures and compositions. As a kid I was drawing at all times. I think it’s hard to say something specific, it all ties together somehow. I mean I’ve always looked at a album cover to be as important as the music in itself. It creates a story, so I guess story telling through image is important to me. But back to your question, I “officially” became a graphic designer in 2000

Who was your first client?
i was doing projects for friends etc in the beginning. my first commercial client was Virgin Music and I did a album cover for Swedish hip hop group “Fattaru”

Going through your portfolio, one will see that you’ve been doing a lot of club flyers and other music related projects. Is there a reason to why it’s been so much music in your work?
I’ve been a DJ for the past 15 years, and I just ended up helping my friends who were in the industry.

Is there a project that has been extra sick to work with?
I do posters for a concept named “Classiks”, their thing is to bring old school hip hop artists to Sweden and I do the posters. My creative freedom is almost limitless and they trust my judgment. Natrually, being given free creative hands in my position is always fun.

If you could choose a dream project what would it be?
I’d like to do something with Grace Jones, she’s had insanely dope artwork throughout her entire career.

Where do you gather your inspiration from?
everything that surrounds me, you know; clothes, music, people, nature

As a DJ do you have any specific way of going about your sets?
I rarely put together sets, frankly i don’t necessarily believe in it. You have to feel the audience out.

As Stockholm profile as well as world traveler how do you look on Stockholm nightlife?
I think that coming to Stockholm as a visitor during summer time and you’ll go to the places that focus on the music you like, you’d probably love Stockholm. LIving here it becomes sort of the same thing over and over, but I think that goes for any city.

Do you have any local favorite designers, dj’s or creative people you’d like to share with us?
Carli and Marcus Price are very inspiring as far as music. I’m not really that well tuned with fashion, but I like what “Our Legacy” is doing.

You are the artist of the month for The Swede Beat’s Festival issue. Do you have any juicy festival memory and are you planning on attending any of the festivals this year?
I’ve been to a music festival once, it was the Hultsfred Festival in 2002. It was fun, but I’m obviously not a festival goer since it’s been 8 years since that time

Our Favorite Artists Featured in The Swede Beat Magazine’s 1st year

#1: Jenny Mortsell:
Brilliant illustrator based in Brooklyn, NY whose expressive and playful drawings have received world-wide attention.
Using a camera to capture the expressions of a human face is one thing, using a pencil is quite another, we’re not just talking point-and-shoot here people. But Swedish illustrator Jenny Mörtsell manages to do the latter with considerable ease, yielding expressive drawings of ordinary people that have received attention worldwide.
Mörtsell began as a graphic designer, but soon realized that drawing with pencils was more her style. Her drawings are simple, yet eloquent and characterized playfulness and femininity.
Her client list consists of magazine and companies such as Nylon, New York Times Magazine, Elle UK, and Phillip Lim. In 2008, Mörtsell did collaboration with Urban Outfitters and designed a T-shirt for their collections.
For the past year, Mörtsell has called New York’s Lower East Side her home. The change in location has been exciting for the artist and had a significant effect on her creative process.
Mörtsell combines contemporary Swedish design with New York flair; the effect is something you won’t forget anytime soon.
Watch artist slide show in issue #1
http://jennysportfolio.com/

#11: Hannah Modigh
A curious and courageous soul and a necessity to capture the lost souls in front of her lens.
Early this spring, Vice Magazine and Fargfabriken, a contemporary art gallery in Stockholm, presented one of Sweden’s most talented documentary photographers, Hannah Modigh.
28-year-old Hannah Modigh, born in India now living in Stockholm is a brave soul who photographed sex workers in Denmark, teen-age drug addicts and overall, poverty and misery. Fargfabriken featured her latest photo project Hillbilly Heroin Honey.
Modigh lived and partied with poverty-stricken kids around the Appalachian mountains in Virginia for two months, which resulted in impressive exhibit by this award winning young talent who posses a curious and courageous soul and a necessity to capture the lost souls in front of her lens.
Watch artist slide show in issue # 11
http://www.hannahmodigh.se/

#4: Malcom Fallenius aka Malarky
Sincere, sensual and witty pics from our favorite music photographer
During the past years, Malcolm Fallenius has been taking pictures of people in his apartment. People like Shout Out Louds, Robyn, The Dears and Lykke Li, among many others. His photos capture his sitters just the way they are, creating sincerity that is often sensual and occasionally comical.
Read interview with Malcom Fallenius aka Malarky here
Watch artist slide show in issue # 4
http://malarky.se/

#10: Simon “Diamant” Silverberg
A man of many talents whose talent explore the emerging field of street art
What do you get if you mix an Art Director, Musical artist, Artistic Artist, hobby tattooist and Gallery owner? You get a creative master mind with sleeping issues. Simon “Diamant” Silfverberg is moving fearlessly between all areas within the creative sphere. He turned his inability to sleep into a strength, and utilized his time wisely to come up with concepts and solutions to his everyday work.
Silverberg is a man of many talents. He is the founder and owner of Fantasimon Design group,and works with clients such as Adidas, Microsoft, H&M, and Xbox, to name a few. He’s currently collaborating with the culture department to decorate the city of Malmo. And if that wasn’t enough to make everyone jealouse- he’s contributed his illustrations to a small expo about keeping the nature and our society more green. The exhibition will travel around the world starting with the United Nations’ meeting in Denmark.
Early this year with the help of his family, Silverberg opened the Gallery “Silfverberg, Silfverberg and Silverberg.” He sees the gallery as a space to let the community take part in an artist’s greatness.
Lately Simon has felt the need to take on another real challenge, to become a tattoo artist. Other projects include designing skatedecks for Streetlab, launching fashion brand Paris 75 on a international level, and the new exhibition “Godmorgon Gomorra.” Follow this creative maniac through his blog. Check out his amazing art work to the right.
Watch artists slide show in issue # 10
www.fantasimon.blogspot.com

INTERVIEW WITH PHOTOGRAPHER MALCOM FALLENIUS

April 20th 2009 , I sat down on the sunny steps of the Royal Library in Stockholm, with music photographer Malcolm Fallenius that generously let us glimpse at the man behind the camera. During the past years, Malcolm Fallenius aka Malarky has been taking pictures of people in his apartment, breathtaking landscapes and the great artists Shout Out Louds, Robyn, The Dears and Lykke Li, among many others. He has an exceptional talent for capturing objects just the way they are, creating a sincerity that is often sensual and occasionally comical. Fallenius once came to a costume party I had dressed as a rodent. It is unclear whether he was a rat or a mouse. As a man of many qualities, he is in his uniqueness, a prototype of the creative Stockholmer.

What does Malarky mean?
It means bullshit in English and is some kind of game in Swedish.

Dream band or artist to go on tour with?
Metallica in the early 80’s and Gangstarr in the late 80’s, that way I get both sides of the story.

Passport or paparazzi photographer?
Passport photographer

Black and white or color film?
B/W, because I hate adjusting the colors in photoshop.

How important is it to know the subject whom you are taking a picture of?
If you are a really good photographer it shouldn’t matter. But I’m not that good… Hehe. Usually it is people I know, or the person is so used to having their pictures taking that they are very professional and make things easy for me.

What do you think of photography as a political medium?
A picture says more than a thousand words! It is really good because a photo affects you more than a text. And some people are lazy and don’t read all the text, but at least they see the picture. The text is important too, but the photo is really important.

What is your dream project?
I like to document something for a really long time. Like with Shout Out Louds,I love to follow them around. But my dream job is to document a Formula 1 team for one year. It`s almost like a band tour but more with more oil and more sexism.

Which is your favorite pose?
The jumping pose. It creates a funny picture.

What camera would you bring to a desert island?
My Nikon F3, it’s my grandfather’s old camera.

What is the most sell out thing you could do?
I’ve already done it – taking pictures of meat. But then I donated some of the money to a vegan runners club.

How would you define Swedish beauty?
Blue skies and blue water. And blue berries.

You seem to be eager to find a serious girlfriend. What would an ad for you look like?
Crazy bitch from the ghetto! (Laughing). Skinny boy with big shoes looking for sporty, funny, creative skinny girl with big shoes. (By big shoes he means running shoes.)

A dream date?
The charming character Zooey Deschanel play in The Yes Man.

What’s your advice to be creative?
See a lot of things. Inspire yourself – read, listen to music, go to a museum. Just think in your bed. No, the best way is to have a pen and paper next to your bed. Most of those ideas turn out to be crap but at least they were good ten hours earlier.

If you would chose another creative field, what would it be?
Illustration. I’d like to draw the faces of people with a pencil.

Annie Leibovitz or Robert Capa?
Capa. He was braver. He risked his life.

How is your inner child doing?
Great, great.

http://malarky.se/
By Ebba Akerman