Öyvind Fahlström
Öyvind Fahlström was a Swedish artist known for his esoteric approach to exploring semiotics through visual systems. Often employing mysterious symbols and text, Fahlström created works meant to suggest epic narratives, as seen in his Sketch for World Map Part 1 (Americas, Pacific) (1972). The artist once said he sought to “create a world of situations and actions in a contradictory and discontinuing time-space.” Born on December 28, 1928, in São Paulo, Brazil to Swedish and Norwegian parents, Fahlström was sent to Stockholm at the age of 10. Due to the onset of World War II, he remained in Sweden to complete his secondary education. He became a Swedish citizen and went on to study classics and art history at the University of Stockholm. As a young man, he began writing for Swedish publications and produced poetry, plays, translations, and art. In 1961, the artist moved to New York, which was his primary place of residence for the rest of his life. Living in the same building as Jasper Johns, Fahlström’s artistic production increased with his association with American avant-garde artists. He participated in Happenings, exhibited his work at the 1964 and 1966 Venice Biennales, and continued to write plays. The artist died on …
Öyvind Fahlström was a Swedish artist known for his esoteric approach to exploring semiotics through visual systems. Often employing mysterious symbols and text, Fahlström created works meant to suggest epic narratives, as seen in his Sketch for World Map Part 1 (Americas, Pacific) (1972). The artist once said he sought to “create a world of situations and actions in a contradictory and discontinuing time-space.” Born on December 28, 1928, in São Paulo, Brazil to Swedish and Norwegian parents, Fahlström was sent to Stockholm at the age of 10. Due to the onset of World War II, he remained in Sweden to complete his secondary education. He became a Swedish citizen and went on to study classics and art history at the University of Stockholm. As a young man, he began writing for Swedish publications and produced poetry, plays, translations, and art. In 1961, the artist moved to New York, which was his primary place of residence for the rest of his life. Living in the same building as Jasper Johns, Fahlström’s artistic production increased with his association with American avant-garde artists. He participated in Happenings, exhibited his work at the 1964 and 1966 Venice Biennales, and continued to write plays. The artist died on November 9, 1978 in Stockholm, Sweden. Today, his works are held in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Moderna Museet in Stockholm, and the Art Institute of Chicago, among others.
