The art gallery

In the 2021 season, a live art exhibition will be opened on board the destroyer Småland. We welcome artists from the Artists' Alliance who, through various expressions, illustrate maritime environments and moods. The ambition is that both objects and artists will be replaced on an ongoing basis for two-week periods.

CURRENT ARTISTS

Between 2/10-7/11, art from Emma Stark and Birgitta Norrgren can be seen on board the destroyer Småland.

Emma Stark

My name is Emma Stark and I work as an Tattoo Artist and also with more traditional art. I grew up in a small town in the middle of Swedish “Värmland” county. Now I’m living in the outback North of Gothenburg together with my partner and our two daughters.

I have been working full time as a tattoo artist since 2008, and are running the studio Stark Tattoo and Art in Linné, Gothenburg. The tattoo trade have not only educated me a lot about people. But it’s also been a great way of learning and provide inspiration for my creative side and technical development. I work exclusively with custom designed motives based on the customers wishes. The tattoo trade is a fun balance between a service minded trade and the possibility of making a living on your art.

Through the years I have worked with most techniques, but most recently I have done a lot of watercolors. The motives are quite often realistic and with a lot of details, but I also paint some flowing landscapes. The motives that I keep coming back to mirrors my love and fascination for animals and nature. Art is my way of releasing stress and for meditation.

I have participated in many group exhibitions and also had a few solo exhibitions.

With my “Ship-Cats” (Swedish for Polydactyl cats) I have not only combined two of my big passions; Cats and Tattoo Art. But I have also gotten the opportunity to reflect on two different trades. Seafaring and the art of Tattooing. Both meaning a lot to each other and have gone hand in hand for ages. An interesting history of symbolism, hard labour, subculture and tests of masculinity.

Birgitta Norrgren

My name is Birgitta Norrgren and I’m 84 years old. My goal as a painter is to reflect the light in our everyday lives. Through color and shape, be able to catch and share the essence of nature and a casual life with my art. My artistic tool is primarily aquarelle, but I also work with oil paint and other materials, such as silver, clay, wood and plaster.

My first exhibition was a solo exhibition in Gothenburg in 1990, which got me further inspired to keep on with the artistic work. Seven years later, I trained to become a utility designer. Every year from then, until 2017 I have had solo exhibitions on the West coast of Sweden, in Varnhem and in Norway. Primstaven (The Prime stick) - an ancient Nordic calendar carved into a wooden stick – inspired me to create a unique collection of art, where paintings were built up through mixed technique and illustrated different feasts from the Nordic tradition.

I think aquarelle should be for everyone. Therefore, I created an open course in my studio 2004. I wanted to be able to share my passion with others, and the goal was to get them to play with color and form and participate in a final collective exhibition in my own studio in the end of the course. I continued to hold aquarelle courses until 2019, and several of my students are now active aquarelle artists.

” Bohuslän, the Swedish west coast, is close to my heart. Through my color palette my intention is to share its natural mood and changes. Dock an island protected from the storm, enjoy the weather and the wind. You will be inspired.”

ABOUT THE ARTISTS 'ALLIANCE

The Artists 'Alliance (KFA) is a Nordic artists' organization for professional visual and design artists and artisans. KFA works to reform the state artist support and introduce a more general income-related artist support on objective criteria.

KFA is a non-profit association that was formed in 2002 and with its headquarters located in Gothenburg. In principle, all active professional artists can join the national organization KFA, including artists from the other Nordic countries. Their main purpose is to act as a network for various associations, where they form an alliance to strengthen artists' conditions in society and present various proposals to the government to improve and renew the labor market for visual and performing artists.