PRESENTATION: Petra Lindholm-Songs of Trees

Petra Lindholm works mainly with video, textile and sound. Her films do not have a specific narrative structure. They are focused on nuances and changes in color and image; which creates a tense atmosphere rather than a clear-cut story. Lindholm often depicts situations that are easily recognizable or phenomena in the environment, where the real and ordinary things seem unreal.

By Dimitris Lempesis
Photo: Galleri Magnus Karlsson Archive

Petra Lindholm describes her imagery as a flowing sequence of landscapes shaped by memory, the subconscious, and deeply personal experiences. Her solo exhibition “Songs of Trees” presents a series of textile works that explore how place-based encounters and intuitive perception can be translated into visual form. Drawing on the tactile and temporal qualities of textile—its slow processes, bodily proximity, and inherent intimacy—Lindholm seeks to convey the emotional atmospheres and subtle moods that emerge in dialogue with the living landscape. The exhibition includes an array of works ranging from large-scale tapestries and free-hanging textile collages to smaller, painterly pieces. These compositions blur the boundaries between craft and fine art, combining meticulous technique with an openness to chance. A central work in the exhibition, “Timelines” (2025), takes the architecture of the gallery itself as its point of departure. Composed of multiple layers of sheer fabrics, applied both by hand and sewing machine, the piece reflects Lindholm’s embrace of spontaneity. The landscape unfolds gradually, layer by layer, through a process guided as much by intuition as by intention. In this recent body of work, Lindholm turns inward, stepping away from the rapid stream of contemporary life to find a slower rhythm in the quiet presence of nature. Her focus rests on trees—ancient, rooted beings that offer an alternative experience of time through their silence and stillness. Approaching them with attentiveness and reverence, she allows these encounters to guide the creation of each work, letting the trees themselves become silent collaborators in her artistic process.

Photo: Petra Lindholm, Dagjämning / Equinoctial, 2025, Textile assemblage, spray paint, 240×380 cm, © Petra Lindholm, Courtesy the artist and Galleri Magnus Karlsson

Info: Galleri Magnus Karlsson, Hellvi Kännungs 207, Lärbro, Gotland, Sweden, Duration: 19/7-3/8/2025, Days & Hours: Tue-Sun 12:00-16:00, www.gallerimagnuskarlsson.com/