David Zwirner is pleased to present an exhibition of new paintings by Swedish artist Mamma Andersson (b. 1962), on view at the gallery’s Paris location. Following her major 2021 solo presentation Humdrum Days at the Louisiana Museum, Humlebæk, Denmark, Adieu Maria Magdalena will be the artist’s first solo exhibition in Paris and her fifth with David Zwirner.
Characterized by a unique combination of textured brushstrokes, loose washes, stark graphic lines, and evocative colors, Andersson’s works embody a new genre of painting that recalls late nineteenth-century Romanticism while also embracing a contemporary interest in layered, psychological compositions. Her often-panoramic scenes draw inspiration from a wide range of archival photographic source materials, filmic imagery, theater sets, and period interiors, as well as the sparse topography of northern Sweden, where she grew up: mountainous backdrops, trees, snow, and wooden cabins are recurrent elements within her works. Yet, rather than conveying specific spatial or temporal reference points, they revolve around the expression of atmospheres and subjective moods, and frequently appear to merge the past, the present, and the future.
