Andréhn-Schiptjenko

About the Gallery
Founded by Ciléne Andréhn and Marina Schiptjenko in Stockholm in 1991, Andrehn-Schiptjenko was one of the first galleries in Sweden with an international roster, serving as a catalyst for a new generation of contemporary art spaces in Scandinavia. The gallery has been consistently committed to working in an international arena and to the long-term representation of emerging and established artists from all over the world. The gallery has successfully launched the careers of Scandinavian artists such as Annika Larsson, Matts Leiderstam, and Annika Elisabeth von Hausswolff and has given artists such as Uta Barth, Cecilia Bengolea, José León Cerrillo, Martín Soto Climent, Ridley Howard, Tony Matelli and Xavier Veilhan their first European or Scandinavian solo exhibition. Included in the gallery programme are also artists of art historical relevance, such as Siri Derkert, a trailblazing, female modernist whose work continues to influence new generations of artists.

As a way of expanding the gallery’s international scope and to accommodate for collaborative and multidisciplinary projects, a second space opened in Paris in the spring of 2019, allowing for a closer relationship with the gallery’s international network. In the summer of 2022, the Paris gallery relocated to a new, spacious venue, allowing for ambitious presentations of the artists represented by the gallery.

About the Presentation
Gunnel Wåhlstrand (b. 1974, Stockholm, Sweden) works exclusively with ink wash, a technique she has perfected. The subtle tonality and shading in her work are achieved by adjusting the ink’s density, the load on the brush, and the pressure applied in a single stroke. There is an uncompromising element to Wåhlstrand’s method, as once a stroke is painted, it cannot be altered or erased.

Wåhlstrand’s depiction is a deeply personal process yet has a universally affecting presence. The procedure of making this meticulously reconstructed documentation is painstakingly slow and is physically taxing. In a fast-paced age, Wåhlstrand’s work serves as an anti-thesis where the artisanship and a mastering of her craft is always guiding her process. Given her limited production, Wåhlstrand’s works have rarely been presented outside of Europe, and the presentation at Independent marks her solo debut in the United States.

Having explored her family albums to its very core - searching for the presence of her father who disappeared early in her life - Wåhlstrand has in recent years explored the landscape of an island which holds a personal significance for her. The recollection and depiction of the site is transformed beyond a mere memory into a hope of eternalization, as well as a wish to understand and to be fully absorbed by the landscape. Having, at this point, spent more time in the painted depiction of the island than in the physical location, both places have become intertwined into one.