Lars Lerin

2011

Lars Lerin counts as one of the most prominent watercolour artists in Scandinavia, and has exhibited both collections and separate exhibitions at galleries and museums in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, France, Faroe Islands, Iceland, Norway, Germany and USA. He studied at Gerlesborgsskolan 1974-75 and at Valands konsthögskola in Gothenburg 1980-84. His many travels have been portrayed in a wide selection of illustrated books. In May 2005, a permanent Lars Lerin-exhibition opened at Laxholmen in Munkfors.

A dramatically charged image in red, with a fort in center, made the work that symbolised the 34th Göteborg International Film Festival.

Lars Lerin about the work: 

"I don't really watch movies that much anymore, at least not feature film, fiction. I despise entertainment, mostly wants to entertain myself instead, preferably record film. From my childhood I remember TV-films, black and white adaptions of Eyvind Johnson's novels and Pär Lagerkvist's. And Viggen Viggo. In adolescence and long afterwards I wanted to be frightened. I saw every horror film that was ever made. I fancied the mood, lightning, the black shadows that fell on moon-lightened walls... Hitchcock, Dracula, Island of Terror. I have also experienced carefulness, the humble in Troell, his migrant epic, so magnificent simple storytelling with images. And Almodóvar's humour. Fassbinder. But Ingmar Bergman has always made me uncomfortable. Nowadays, I watch mostly documentaries about cows. Portraits of humans, environments. Nina Lekander, Tom Alandh among others", says Lars Lerin.