Lena Svedberg

Svedberg’s time in Ethiopia was fairly short, but made a deep impression. Her mother did aidwork and started an adoption programme. Svedberg accompanied her on her expedi¬tions, and it was during these that she began to make drawings and reflect on the world through images.

After graduating, Lena Svedberg moved to Stockholm in 1964 and was accepted at the Idun Lovén art college. She painted and was preoccupied with existentialist issues. Albert Camus, Jean Genet, Jean-Paul Sartre and Niki de Saint Phalle were influences, and Ingmar Bergman’s Persona triggered her application to the Royal Institute of Art, where she was accepted in autumn 1967.

Lena Svedberg. Photo: Stefan Sundén

In the circle around Lars Hillersberg who was also a student at the Royal Institute of Art, Svedberg’s existentialist questions gained a political context, and she was drawn to the art of satire. Puss magazine was an essential forum between 1968 and 1972, but Lena Svedberg also exhibited. In 1969, she showed drawings from Ethiopia in Stockholm, and Mr Aldman – Superhero of the Universe was featured at the Paris biennial. The work was acquired by Moderna Museet right after the exhibition. This was followed by a prolific output and exhibitions in Stockholm, Helsinki and Tokyo. Lena Svedberg died in the summer of 1972, at age 26.