– Alida Ivanova for Supermarket Art Magazine 2025

Sexy Unique Art Sweden
Alida Ivanov

As this year’s theme for the fair is Passion I was tasked with writing a piece on what’s hot on the Swedish contemporary art scene. Easier said than done. I turned in this text about a month late, trying to formulate what constitutes promising, thrilling, fun, and sexy art. As I write this I’m nine months pregnant and it feels like I’ve been hit over the head with what people refer to as ‘pregnancy brain’, in other words not a super sexy state of mind. So here follows my compilation list of what’s happening in Sweden. Disclaimer number one: this list is very Stockholm-heavy, and I apologise for that. Disclaimer number two!! the title for this text is a joke (those who know, know).

Galleries and Other Alluring Platforms:

Studio Tabac / Stockholm
Studio Tabac is an artist-run platform focusing on contemporary photography: the emotional and experimental aspects of the practice. It was founded by Theo Elias and Angelica Elliott in January 2023. Tabac has studio spaces, dark rooms (mmm), and an exhibition space.
https://www.studiotabac.com/

Beau Travail / Stockholm
Beau Travail is a gallery founded and run by artist Marie Karlberg. The gallery has a programme of exhibitions, performances, and other events, and includes its garden (love gardens) as an extension of the gallery space.
https://beautravail.se/

Nuda / Stockholm
Nuda Paper is a biannual publication that explores the zeitgeist through different themes and invites quality contributors from various artistic practices. 

Nuda (⸝⸝⸝>﹏<⸝⸝⸝) has expanded beyond the printed page; Nora Hagdahl and Frida Vega Salomonsson run a physical space with an exciting and up-and-coming programme. They organise events and much more.
https://nudapaper.com/

Allmänna Konsthall / Gothenburg
Allmänna Konsthall opened in 2023 and is run by Dafne Leidi. The gallery’s first exhibition, featuring Chicks on Speed, set the tone for its programme. Leidi has created a great balance between local and international shows. The gallery was awarded the Gothenburg Prize in Art 2024 by Nöjesguiden.
https://www.instagram.com/allmanna_konsthall/

Sultry Artists:

Jaana-Kristiina Alakoski
Jaana-Kristiina Alakoski’s artistic practice includes performance, installation, text, and more. The themes of obsession and longing can be seen throughout her works. In many ways her practice nudges on gesamtkunstwerk for the digital age.
https://www.jaanakristiina.se/

Alqumit Alhamad
Alqumit Alhamad’s artistic practice is rooted in his experiences of displacement and revolves around self-affirmation, self-destruction, self-invention, and self-reference. These concepts reflect his ongoing journey of navigating cultural dislocation and reconstructing identity.
https://www.alqumit.com/

Ekaterina Lukoshkova
Ekaterina Lukoshkova is an artist who works with photography, text, video, and experimental craft. She is interested in the materiality of life and death, the impact of global political events on the individual, and the influence of progress on human expression.
https://lukoshkova.com/

Honorable and Tantalizing Mentions:

NSFW / Gothenburg
Sorry for the bias, but the name alone speaks for itself. Founded by Oscar Ramos and me in 2016, but is now run by Oscar. Very sexy programme!! https://www.newdomain.se/

Skånes Konstförening / Malmö
I can’t think of a more urgent exhibition programme in Sweden, to be honest. There is nothing hotter than art that is thought-provoking.
https://skaneskonst.se/

Sonia Hedstrand
Sonia Hedstrand is a Swedish artist and critic based in Stockholm. Whenever she publishes a new article it becomes the talk of the town. She scrutinises, critiques, and analyses not only exhibitions but also the situations that arise when working in the arts. In her texts she is known for always weaving in her personal experiences. In one of her more well-known texts she stated that she was “too hot” for people to want to work with her – a very sexy, yet sad text. </3
soniaskonstkritik.ghost.io

Swedish Cultural Politics
In a conversation with my best friend Katya she hypothesised whether our current Swedish cultural politics would force the art scene to become ‘arm aber sexy’ (Berlin’s famous old tagline). The arts and other cultural fields are in a position of getting less funding from the state (municipalities and regions will probably follow, for those who haven’t already cut costs). We are all feeling that we are entering a dark time. Our cultural minister is very adamant about the cultural fields becoming more open to working with private funding, but without actually making the effort or changes for the private sector to take that step (e.g. changing VAT rules, making art deductible for companies bla bla). The only thing we have left is being sexy and passionate.