PRESENTATION:Mama Anderson-Œuvres sur papier

The exhibition “Œuvres sur papier” foregrounds the distinctive artistic vision of Mamma Andersson, whose practice bridges historical reference and contemporary psychological inquiry. Known for her unique synthesis of textured brushwork, loose washes, and stark graphic lines, Andersson constructs images that feel both materially rich and emotionally elusive. Her work recalls the sensibilities of late nineteenth-century Romanticism while simultaneously engaging with modern concerns and perception, memory, and the instability of visual experience.

By Dimitris LEmpesis
Photo: David Zwirner Gallery Archive

Within “Œuvres sur papier”, this duality becomes particularly evident. Andersson’s compositions, often panoramic in scope, draw from a diverse archive of source material: photography, cinema, theater sets, and period interiors. These references are interwoven with imagery rooted in the landscapes of northern Sweden—mountains, forests, snow, and wooden cabins. Yet rather than anchoring her scenes in a specific geography or time, Andersson transforms these elements into fluid, atmospheric spaces where temporal boundaries dissolve and subjective mood takes precedence.

The exhibition places special emphasis on Andersson’s work on paper, underscoring the central role that drawing and printmaking have played in her practice since the late 1990s. In “Œuvres sur papie0”r, printmaking emerges not as a supplementary activity but as a generative engine for her artistic process. It is through these mediums that she experiments with composition, tests visual ideas, and reconsiders spatial dynamics. Moreover, printmaking introduces a collaborative dimension to her work, connecting her with specialized workshops and master printers.

A significant component of “Œuvres sur papier” is the presentation of prints produced in collaboration with leading studios, including Crown Point Press and Edition Copenhagen. The exhibition highlights a wide range of techniques—etching, aquatint, lithography, and woodcut—demonstrating Andersson’s versatility and technical fluency. Alongside these are unique proofs and drawings that further articulate her affinity for the tactile and expressive possibilities of paper.

At the center of “Œuvres sur papier” is the debut of “Porte clé” (2026), a new series of etchings published by Utopia Editions. Developed in Paris at the Atelier Tazé-Lipreau-Araï, these works extend imagery first explored in her 2023 exhibition Adieu Maria Magdalena at David Zwirner. Returning repeatedly to the studio over the past two years, Andersson has reworked and reimagined earlier motifs, producing compositions that feel both familiar and newly enigmatic.

The works presented in the exhibition reveal a dense network of artistic references. Andersson draws on traditions such as Chinese woodblock printing, while also engaging with the quiet, introspective interiors of Vilhelm Hammershøi and the expressive landscapes of Carl Fredrik Hill. These influences are not directly cited but rather absorbed into her visual vocabulary, contributing to images that are layered, ambiguous, and psychologically charged.

Throughout the series, recurring motifs—furniture, doll-like figures, deer heads, and sparse landscapes—take on an uncanny presence. Andersson’s handling of surface and space destabilizes conventional representation, transforming interiors into sites of quiet tension and unease. The works resist fixed interpretation, instead inviting viewers into a contemplative engagement with atmosphere and emotion.

Ultimately, “Œuvres sur papier” offers a comprehensive insight into Andersson’s artistic methodology. By emphasizing her works on paper, the exhibition reveals the experimental core of her practice—one that moves fluidly between mediums, between individual and collaborative production, and between historical resonance and contemporary exploration.

Info: David Zwirner Gallery, 108, rue Vieille du Temple, Paris, France, Duration: 23/4-27/7/2026, Days & Hours: Tue & Thu-Sat 11:00-19:00, Wed 11:00-20:00, www.davidzwirner.com/