Exhibition “Dreamland”
In the exhibition Dreamland by Britta Noresten, there are two recurring themes: faces and drapery. Both
can hide or reveal. A face can act as a mask, hiding true emotions, or serve as an instrument for
conveying feelings. Similarly, drapery can conceal, leaving us wondering what lies hidden beneath. The
question of what the surface reveals about the inside is central in Noresten’s work.
Time is frozen, each painting representing both an eternity and an instant. No actions or stories are
described, and no context is given to the subjects’ surroundings. Some portraits are confronting, the
faces almost bursting out of the canvas. Others are more restrained, the subjects silently watching the
viewer.
Several pieces from the ongoing painting series Silent Companion are featured in this exhibition. This
series delves into the invisible baggage we carry with us – our memories, fears, experiences, and
thoughts. The past and the unseen are constant companions throughout life, shaping our identities. To
create these paintings, Noresten used an old-fashioned projector. By projecting a photograph of herself
onto her face, a double and distorted effect is achieved, where one face casts a shadow over the other.
Noresten’s paintings are executed in a manner she describes as a visual equivalent of the literary
concept stream of consciousness – an exploration on canvas of the unconscious mind:
”Intuition is the central driving force in my work. My impulses and inspirations guide the painting process,
and it is the feeling – rather than the rational or logical – that leads the way. I work without preliminary
studies and strive to minimize the time between idea and action in order to preserve spontaneity and
improvisation in the painting. When I begin a painting, I usually have an idea of where I am headed, but
the direction can change drastically and take unexpected turns during the process. I discover the image
by painting it.”
Artist Britta Noresten
Britta Noresten (born 1985) is a painter based in Göteborg. Her work explores themes of identity, time
and memory, and is characterized by close up portraits in monochrome colors. Britta has a strong
interest in merging influences of old master painters with elements from pop culture. She graduated
from the Florence Academy of Arts Sweden in 2016, and she is now one of the Principal Instructors of
drawing and painting. She has recently been presented at Mall galleries in London, and has also been part
of Liljewalchs Vårsalong 2025.
