Johan Ferner Ström
There is something immediate about Johan F Ström, in both his art and his person. To live daily, observing what happens is something which he himself declares to be his primary inspiration, this comes as no surprise. The core of his art is social integration and generally pertinent social phenomena. “How do spend our time?” he asked us in the two-piece project entitled Time 2001, which was executed in the environs of Simrishamn in 2001. In Limitati –Limitate (1994) he develops his thought surrounding our self-censorship and asks why it is that we limit our lives. He reworks more personal angles, like the significance of things in the memory of a beloved person, in the exhibition from 2005, entitled Between Dreams & Reality [Mellan dröm & verklighet].
One can discern an uncomplicated test of social interest in the work from 2002 entitled The Flag of the Glade [Gläntanflaggan]. Here, together with the children of the Gläntan kindergarten, Johan Ström has created a play sculpture spliced together with flags representative of the children’s countries of origin. The project implies research work for the children themselves, with tangible results in their own nursery yard.
The idea is always of central import. The technique has a subordinate role. This may create a certain anxiety in the artistic expression – it’s not always easy to recognise a Johan Ström when you see it. But this consequence is offered up in order to allow the idea to speak out. This wish to adapt his artistic and technical expression according to the demands of the subject has made him into a material virtuoso. His ability to find practical solutions for artistic ideas has also lead to collaborations with other artists, Dan Wolgers among others.
Even the concrete execution is important. To impel a project forward, from idea to completed work, situated in its environment, is an art form in itself.
Johan Ström observes the world and shares his thoughts with us. Even if the present world is not the best of all worlds, Johan Ström never yields to bitterness or cynicism. Neither does he yield to overworked embellishment. People cannot communicate, we stand dumb before each other despite all the modern technology, we waist our precious time in labyrinths of action thrillers and TV advertisements, were relations are complicated and wrecked. But Johan F Ström’s strength lies in the fact that he is able to regard this imperfect world with surprise, reconciliation and empathy.
Susan Bolgar
