Bill Billekvist – Watermelon in my belly

"Somehow certain memories started to appear clearly in front of me, as if I was hallucinating. I chose to think about my grandmother's outstanding patience and sense of embroidery and textiles. I sort of travelled through stories, different events that I have experienced from childhood to now and tried to capture it in cars, embroidery, characters, animals, tools and bodily forms." - Bill Billekvist

An old MP3 player filled with industrial techno music from her teenage years is the starting point for the work Kode, in which the artist deals with a dark period characterised by moving and her parents' divorce. The painting represents a sense of rootlessness in unfamiliar terrain, both culturally and socially. Chaotic currents and darkness meet living forms as if in a storm wind on the canvas.

The self-portrait Watermelon in my belly is also characterised by movement and organic form. Arms and legs as dynamic fields created using layers of acrylic paint on vinyl, revolve around the belly at the centre of the work.

Father is kind, mother is a snake is a poignant work of acrylic and wax crayon on canvas, executed in the original colour palette that has become something of a signature for the artist. Billekvist's painting creates waves of raw energy in the room, reminiscent of street-art-influenced neo-expressionism.

The exhibition as a whole shows a wide range and multiple layers in Billekvist's work. With a distinctive colour palette and a sure hand, Billekvist mixes styles and motifs in an anarchic and personal way based on abstract expressionist painting. The viscosity of colour meets imaginative line compositions at the intersection of strict visual form and dance performance. An irrepressible desire for freedom coupled with a rebellious relationship with the chosen medium generates a dynamic expression in constant evolution.

Bill Billekvist (1992-) studies at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts (2019-2022). He has created several murals around Sweden, had solo exhibitions and live performance events in Stockholm and Oslo, and participated in several group exhibitions. Vaxholm cultural scholarship holder 2019.

The exhibition is on display at Nordiska Galleriet until 2 December 2020.

For questions about viewing and buying artworks, please contact Ditte, Head of Art.
[email protected]
+46 707 656 000

For press enquiries and interview requests, please contact Olivia, PR & Event Manager.
[email protected]
+46 768 775 767

Writtten by Lina Aastrup