Annika Ström

Since 2000 I have made texts on canvas, paper, on walls, on bags, in metall, in stone, on top of a roof, as 3D sculpture, as music, on posters, on pillows and on digital motorways signs.

On INSTAGRAM : annika strom100 you can see more text based work & my 100 paintings project One Hundred

PERFORMANCE

I present 11 performances here.

My first performance was in 1995 with my mother, Anna Ström, at Rupert Goldsworthy Gallery in Berlin: Anna Ström & Annika Ström. Since then, I have staged many performances, often singing my soundtrack with a simple Casio player. I am not a musician. In recent years, I have hired actors to perform simple moves or emotions, like standing in the way or looking lovely.

Seven Women Standing in the Way: This performance has been staged 18 times by different women across Europe. They block an entrance to an art institution, unaware of their presence. They chat and drink during openings, oblivious to the people trying to enter the museum. Whenever someone passes through, they close the gap. The women are aged 65 and up. This work is now part of the collections at Moderna Museet in Stockholm and Trondheim Museum in Norway.

Ten Embarrassed Men was commissioned by Frieze Art Projects. It featured ten men navigating the art fair for five days, looking embarrassed for 8 hours each day. They felt awkward about the lack of women artists represented. This was staged in 2010, and much has changed since then for women artists.

The Inept Five features recent drama graduates acting as inept serving staff at my openings. They often act as themselves, fearing they will remain in supporting roles rather than fulfilling their dreams on big stages or in films. This performance is part of the collections at Leicester The Gallery and Moderna Museet in Stockholm.

Six Lovely People adds a cheerful touch to openings. Actors wear numbered jackets for easy identification. They are instructed to be lovely and not to talk or promote themselves. The first performance occurred at ICA in London in 2015 as part of the fig-2 programme curated by Fatos Ustek.

The Upset Man features a man entering the art space, upset with his partner on his mobile phone. He is oblivious to the public talk and visitors around him. He repeats a script about a misunderstanding. The first performance took place at Temple Bar Gallery in Dublin in 2010. It has been performed several times since then, for example at Fundacio Serralves.

In 2018 at The Gallery in Leicester, five of my performances occurred simultaneously in project Fig-futures. The film from this is called Six Errands. At the end, all 29 performers paraded through the gallery like Olympic champions, accompanied by loud music, raising flags representing each performance. The gallery later produced a booklet about this piece titled Six Errands.

Jönköpings Kammarkör Sings Texts by Annika Ström (2015):
I was invited to Konsthall Jönköping in Sweden to create text works in the city. 39 billboards throughout the town displayed my phrases, some on digital signs along the E4 motorway with the message, “You just missed it” (du har ju åkt förbi). I also composed music for the Jönköpings Chamber Choir, conducted by Ove Gotting, who performed 9 songs in the city.

Dirk The Stand (1997): Dirk performed songs from my film Artist Musical (1997) at an "Artists Perform Music Event" in Oslo at Rockefeller Center. I couldn’t attend, so I sent Dirk, a professional opera singer, to perform my songs.

The Swede: Performed by Carina Westling, a Swedish artist living in the UK. This performance in a Berlin gallery later became a short film featuring Gunnel Lindblom. The film can be found in the Directed Shorts section.

A Woman Standing Inside an Old Building, A Woman Standing Outside an Old Building: This piece was created for the 52nd October Salon Festival in Belgrade. The old building held much history, so I referred to it simply as “an old building.” It explores how we forget or are forced to forget history. The woman, who did not interact with anyone during the happy opening, stood inside and outside, as if holding the secrets of the house and its history alone.

One Hundred Paintings made during
London lockdown 2020-2021.
I got on Instagram & posted each on there.
I focused on the titles & made a book where only the titles were displayed apart from one;
The Siblings disorganised Grief.
All Acrylic on Paper 122 cm X 153 cm.
A Pdf of all the 100 Paintings is available.

After a residency in Spitzbergen, an island far north, I created Ten New Love Songs as the soundtrack for the film of the same name. You can find it under the Music section for free download. I have performed this music many times.
During a visit to LA, I made the film Manuscript Song featuring Mary Goldman.
I finished my studies in Copenhagen with the Artist Musical. This was one of three “Artist films,” alongside The Artist Film and The Artist Live!, and it featured my own soundtrack. The songs are available on vinyl.

I made the film Windowpillow in 1995 when I arrived in Berlin. I produced specially designed pillows for leaning out of windows. This habit is rare now in Berlin, but you might still see it in the far East. You can learn more about this work in the Work 1995-2000 section.

My mother collected my early work. She showcases her collection in the film Collector from 1998.

In 2010, I began working with super8 and made several films with my mother, Anna Ström. The films include: I Am in Love*, All My Dreams Have Come True, Crystal Brain, Sunshine Head*, and I Can Hardly Recognise Myself.

I also created films I call The Absent Films, which explore themes of being cut out of a film, missing something, or losing a person: The Missed Concert, Been in Video, and The After Film Trailer (which is yet to be uploaded). Another film, Call for a Demonstration, features five-year-olds who protested for a museum in Hove in 2006.

The Dying Colour is another super8 film I screened alongside Sunshine Head and Crystal Brain. In 2004, I met The Kindest Artist in the World.

This film includes a letter to Anna:

Dear Anna,

How are you? Hope you are well - I am so happy!!! I finally found him! His name is Jukka Korkeila, and he is so kind!One can say he is nice, but as you know, most artists come off as slimy nice, like they took charming classes during their education. Well, I finally met this guy, and he seems genuinely kind. I’ve been looking for this person for years, and it shocks me that he turned out to be a man! I must admit I have focused more on women, thinking they are generally better people, less violent. After years of searching, I almost forgot about this project! Honestly, I had nearly given up. I looked everywhere: New York, Berlin, Beijing, Bangkok... and suddenly, while enjoying fish soup in a restaurant in Belgrade, he sat next to me. He made me feel calm. It’s been tough researching and trying to see deep inside every artist. The next morning, I told the other artists at breakfast, all of whom were hungover and tired, about my film project. They all reacted with excitement.

“He is such a good pick! He seems so kind! He looks so kind!” Everyone immediately agreed with my choice. For a moment, I wondered if anyone might be jealous, but I saw no sign of that. They all stood up, congratulated me for finding him, hugged me, and wished me luck with the filming. I had tears in my eyes. I can’t wait for you to see the film! I am sure you will think he is the kindest artist in the world! Miss you and hope to see you very soon, Yours, Annika

The first Show 5 min 1995/ 2017 was screened at Paul McDevitts independent space, Farbvision in Prenslaurberg, Berlin 2017.
This film is footage of my very first show in Berlin1995. I found the footage from 1995 of an opening of another independent gallery, Röller and Ravens, which was located in an apartment in Kreuzberg.
No artworks are featured in this film, but the gathering around the art.

At the opening at Farbvision 2017, I once again filmed the visitors, many of them I had managed to track down from the first show. That made the film To be shown in 22 years.

I have written a autobiographical novel in Swedish and I made 2018 a trailer using my footage from the 90s: Book trailer, I read the book.

Swedish for Immigrants SFI 2:30 Minutes 2023 is depicting the images from my mothers professional life as a teacher in the Swedish language.

Nothing/ ingenting and the Watercolor which is dripping down on the paper below are short films on super8 made 2012.

Dad is cooking Chicken Provencal To test my new camera I filmed my father born 1926, when he was cooking for me, at one of my visits.
A friend called the film “a thriller”.

Grant Year 1996, I started a residency in my Berlin flat for frustrated artists. I received many applications from around the world thanks to my ads in various magazines. Watch the film about the grant holder.

Windowpillow This film shows the pillows many East-Berliners used in their windows. It was a common habit in East Berlin when I moved there in 1993. Instead of going to pubs, people enjoyed drinks from their window sills, resting on comfortable pillows. I designed these special pillows to fit the sill and support your elbows. Watch the 13-minute film about old Berlin.

I am so happy You are all here Acrylic paint on the shop window at gallery 1% in Copenhagen, 1998, included a performance where I sang along to my own soundtrack and film.

Cay -Sophie with the second Song. Cassette tape and player with painted flowers, plus a handmade blouse to hold the tapes. The second song is a studio hymn, a “hum” I recorded in 1998. Model: Cay-Sophie Rabinowitz.

SELECTED WORK 2000-2009

The Missed concert and the kindest artist in the world was a show I made at c/o Gerhardsen gallery in Berlin in 2005. Copies at Lautom Contemporary in Oslo in 2008 featured what I see as pointless paintings and drawings I’ve kept over the years. To “justify” them, I copied these works and threw away the originals. Monica Ross helped with the press release, which I copied onto a large piece of paper with a coffee stain. This stain referred to The Letter to Anna created in 2005.
In 2000, I held a show called Grant for a Revolutionary at Mary Goldman’s gallery in LA. I invited a revolutionary over 35 to win my bed and breakfast grant in Berlin. At the opening, applicants stood in a red circle on the floor, sharing their reasons or manifestos for coming to Berlin and changing things with their art.

Möbler för Festvåningen (Furnitures for the function room) Sculptures made of wood, painted black, and adorned with Swedish embroidery, many crafted by my mother. The titles of these sculptures reflect her political life and the radio shows she enjoyed.

Look the other way This was a commission by artSOUTH for collaborations at Winchester Great Hall. The text sculpture was displayed in reverse. On opening night, student singers from the university performed as a collaboration.

Songs by Annika Ström This included a performance, text works, and screenings of all my films at CAAC Seville in 2011.

Check out:

Phaidon Press: Vitamin Txt: Words in Contemporary Art featuring my work.

I published three books with the French publisher onestar press:

Texts by Annika Ström (2004)

Call for a Demonstration (2006)

Annika Ström Live! (2008)

All are available for free download on their website: www.onestarpress.com.

Christophe Boutin, the designer at onestar press, created Six Errands (2019). This work was published by De Montfort University in Leicester, UK.

With onestar press, I also designed bookshelves for their special editions. These are still available. They made a "Please Help Me" bag and have works of mine for sale, including works on paper. Visit them here: http://www.onestarpress.com/artist/annika-stroem.

You can find my complete bibliography in the C.V. section.

Text in English follows below.

Dessa verk är i akryl på papper eller på duk. De flesta är på papper 100 cm x 70 cm. Kontakta mig om du vill veta mera om ett verk. Jag har editioner.

2015 komponerade jag musik till en kammarkör med mina fraser till Konsthall Jönköping. Ove Gotting, dirigenten för Jönköpings kammarkör skrev ner musiken. Filmen på framförandet av konserten kan ses under sektion Performance. Du har ju åkt förbi Jönköping skrev jag också texter på digitala trafikskyltar på E4:an.

2014 satte jag fraser runt om på LUX på universitet i Lund i uppdrag av Statens Konstråd. 2021 På Nordstans Spårvagns station i Göteborg kan man se tre textverk permanent installerade på skärmtaken. 2025, vid Ystads havsbad, finns tre nya bryggor. De har tre textverk med fraser skurna i metall: "länge", "någonstans", och "vidare".

English:

LUX University of Lund, Sweden Completed August 2014. Duration forever.

Commission by The Public art Agency of Sweden curated by Peter Hagdahl, for an extension and the unification of the humanities departments at Lund University, LUX. The building contains 9 text pieces scattered in and around the building.

Big, small, painted, cut out in steel and stone. The text pieces are all in Swedish. The biggest on the top of the roof dimension 10 meters x 1.20 meters, says men vänta nu  (but wait now, meaning: hold on a minute)others are; inte idag (not today) allt går så fort (everything is happens so fast) bara nu (only now) det går snart över (it will soon be alright) I alla fall inte här (at least not here) allt kommer nog att bli bra (everything might be alright) jag hinner inte med (I can't reach it, I can't make it in time) Posters were made to announce the project at the new building, with texts as: men vänta nu, jag hinner inte med, inte idag.

2021 I produced three texts for the tram station Nordstan in Gothenburg. Permanent work , includes the texts någonstans härifrån, nu är du här, alla har tid.

2025 three works were produced commissioned by Ystad Council permanently for three new piers at the long beach by Ystad, south of Sweden. Text were cut in metal and painted. The three words were in Swedish, Länge någonstans, vidare (for a long time, somewhere, further )

Changing Room 13:00 min 2015

In a luxury shopping outlet, two friends share stories about fictional characters. This film features Cecilia Frode (SE) and Camilla Corbett (UK). It was curated by Jack Tan and commissioned by Fatos Üstek at Fig-2 for Bicester Village, in association with Outset.

Camera: Annika Summerson

Sound design: Toby Griffin

Music by: Mark E Brydon

Clapper & Assistant: Jack Tan

Sound recording: Matt Daniel

Written, edited, and directed by: Annika Ström

Filmed in Bicester Village on 26th-27th May 2015

Please email me for the password to view the full film.

Svenskan / The Swede 13:22 min 2014 is the first part of a trilogy about a Swedish woman living in England. She visits her home country and shares her thoughts on English habits while hitchhiking with a woman through Roslagen, Sweden.

The Debt Ridden: GUNNEL LINDBLOM (The Silence, The Virgin Spring)

The Swede: CARINA WESTLING

Camera: Annika Summerson

Editor: Annika Ström / Prano Bailey Bond

Colorist: Darryn Mostyn

Sound design: Toby Griffin

Music: Akamu

Concept & Directed by: Annika Ström

This is Ström's first directed short film, made with generous support from Konstnärsnämnden and The Swedish Art Grant committee, Sweden.

Please email me for the password to view the full film.