Martha Ossowska Persson, Ida Persson & Idun Baltzersen

Fredrik Roos’ birthday, 28 March, is the opening day for an exhibition at Moderna Museet Malmö of this year’s recipients of the Fredrik Roos Art Grant. The selection process was the same as last year, with five Swedish art academies each nominating two graduate students. Previously, one art grant of SEK 250,000 has been awarded, but this year’s grant is divided among three recipients, and the total amount is SEK 600,000. The jury, consisting of the Fredrik Roos Foundation and Daniel Birnbaum, Ann-Sofi Noring and John Peter Nilsson from Moderna Museet, chose Martha Ossowska Persson for the major grant of SEK 300,000, and Ida Persson and Idun Baltzersen for two grants of SEK 150,000 each.

Martha Ossowska Persson (born 1983) studied at the Valand Academy in Gothenburg, and is awarded the major Art Grant of SEK 300,000, “for her vibrant portrayal of tactile physicalities in an increasingly technological and dehumanised era.” Martha Ossowska Persson focuses mainly on monumental watercolours. Her works involve a multifaceted exploration of the human body and innate human behaviours. She captures bodies and limbs in moments of involuntary touching or pleasurable games of tactility, as in the connection that arises with physical contact – and which can be perceived to be both tender or threatening.

Ida Persson (born 1985) studied at the Umeå Academy of Fine Arts and explores architecture, social norms and power. In her methodically constructed paintings, she reduces surveillance cameras and monitoring devices into simple abstract shapes, in between architecture and objects. Ida Persson receives one of the smaller Art Grants “for developing a personal imagery that reveals the power relationships in society”.

Idun Baltzersen (born 1987) graduated from the University College of Arts, Crafts and Design – Konstfack in Stockholm. She works with monumental woodcuts and her art explores heroines, martyrs and various visual representations of female figures and how they have been interpreted over the years by the male masters in art history. “For expressing teen angst and melancholia, with young women as her heroines”, Idun Baltzersen is awarded one of the smaller Art Grants.

The Fredrik Roos Art Grant

The Fredrik Roos Art Grant is awarded to artists under the age of 35, and is intended for study, and for obtaining new knowledge, skills and ideas through study tours or similar activities. The criteria for the art grant are: “Artists who – in the spirit of Fredrik Roos – are prepared to take risks in their artistic practices, who believe in themselves and have their own expressive style. The maximum age is 35. Recipients should be from the Nordic countries and their practice should focus mainly on painting and sculpture.” Previous Art Grant recipients are: Tomas Lundgren (2014), Paul Fägerskiöld (2013), Oskar Mörnerud (2011).

Other nominees for the Fredrik Roos Art Grant 2015

Morten Damgaard (Malmö Art Academy)
Erlend Grytbakk Wold (Malmö Art Academy)
Ulrika Lublin (Royal Institute of Art)
Agnes Molin (University College of Arts, Crafts and Design – Konstfack)
Linus Nordensson Spångberg (Royal Institute of Art)
Hannah Marie Rosvoll (Valand Academy)
Katrin Westman (Umeå Academy of Fine Arts)

Curator: John Peter Nilsson