Pop-Up | Stockholm Culture Festival

I stepped out of the studio and onto the streets of Stockholm with my art, joining Nytorgsfesten together with Egenart as part of the Stockholm Culture Festival. For two days, the city was alive with music, food, and creativity – and my contribution was to bring fragments of my world into that flow.

The most fun part for me was a small detail: a little flap on one of my paintings, marked “For Adult Eyes.” You had to open it to see what was hidden underneath. Standing there and watching people’s reactions was pure joy – the curiosity, the giggles, the shy smiles, the surprise. It turned into a perfect icebreaker, and suddenly strangers were talking, laughing, and sharing thoughts about art, meaning, and what we choose to hide or reveal.

Many visitors noticed that our art carried a darker tone. I think that’s true. Maybe it reflects the times we live in – full of uncertainty, unrest, and questions that don’t have easy answers. For me, art has always been more than beauty. It’s a way of speaking about what’s difficult, a kind of quiet activism, and a way to bring hidden emotions into the open.

These two days reminded me of why I do this: to create moments of connection, to start conversations, and to make people stop – even if just for a second – and feel something.