Take M

y Hand 18 D

rawings by Fre

drik Ho

fwand

er

TA K E

H A N D

MIN

M Y

TA

H A N D

18

BY

H OFWAN D E R

D R A WIN GS

F R E D RIK

( E N G)

Take My Hand And let your eye be caressed by the graphite , which , like

watered silk and polished steel , creates seductive surfaces . The thin lines

are so close that they become hard to distinguish . Above the dark valleys

of graphite the blank paper appears to rise as white banks . This is a sub-

lime graphite painting , serious and playful at the same time .

Light floods through the images , in the grey - shimmering haze in which

the particles of the air seem to be attached to the granularity of the

graphite , as well as in the silk - black fire - lit works . However , the light is

imaginary over - exposed , illuminated , spotlighted . It takes us into the

burning focus of the works , into other worlds .

We are carefully guided into different environments through openings ,

windows , doors or roads lined by trees or buildings . The suggestive com-

fort of the pine forest and the subtle stillness of the city are illusions ,

like documents of our time . The indeterminate and the dissolved become

reflections and counter - images that play with our vision .

A snowy owl regards us calmly and quietly from its vantage point on a

fence . Silently it gazes downwards , and the perspective is reversed . Who

is watching what ? Who is watched by whom ? The figures that populate the

images are immobile . The snowy owl , however , captures my attention and I

find it difficult to take my eyes off it .

In some of the images , Fredrik Hofwander has introduced pictorial ele-

ments that assume the character of emblems . They may be thought of as

decoration but they are also comments that create a distance to the

otherwise illustrative expression of the works . This is communication on

several levels and suddenly we are faced with the fact that we have to

create meaning ourselves .

Every work is a world in itself , with a very special presence . You may re-

main a viewer but you may also choose to enter into them with your own

experience , in order , perhaps , to come out on the other side . Or you will

stay there stuck in the physical materiality of the graphite eternally

engrossed . I , for one , am dazed and want more . ( Annika Gunnarsson )

( S W E )

Ta min hand Och lt gat smekas av blyertsen , som likt vattrat siden

och blankpolerat stl skapar ytor som frfr . Tunna linjer ligger s nra

varandra att de knappt gr att urskilja . ver de mrka dalarna av blyerts ,

hjer sig pappret som vita vallar i utsparade hgdagrar . Det r ett sub-

limt blyertsmleri , allvarligt och lekfullt p samma gng .

Ljus strmmar genom bilderna , svl i grskimrande dis dr luftens partiklar

liksom bundits i blyertsens kornighet , som i de sammetssvarta eldupplys-

ta verken . Men ljuset r imaginrt verexponerat , ljussatt , strlbelyst .

Det fr oss in i verkens brnnande fokus , in i andra vrldar .

Genom ppningar , fnster , portar eller vgar kantade av trd eller hus ,

leds vi omsorgsfullt in i de olika miljerna . Tallskogens suggestiva trygghet

och stadens subtila tystnad r illusioner , som dokument ver vr tid . Det

obestmda , upplsta blir till speglingar och motbilder som leker med vrt

seende .

En fjlluggla betraktar oss lugnt och stilla frn sin utkikspost ovanp

ett stngsel . Tyst blickar den nert , och perspektivet blir det omvn-

da . Vem ser vad ? Vem ses av vem ? De gestalter som befolkar bilderna r

stillastende . Men fjllugglan fngar min uppmrksamhet och jag har svrt

att slppa den med blicken .

I ngra av bilderna har Fredrik Hofwander fogat in bildelement som fr

karaktren av emblem. De kan ses som dekorationer , men r ocks kommen-

tarer , som skapar en viss distansering till verkens i vrigt illustrativa ut-

tryck . Det r kommunikation p flera plan och pltsligt str vi infr det

faktum att vi sjlva mste skapa mening .

Varje verk r en egen vrld , med en alldeles speciell nrvaro . Du fr vara

betraktare , men du kan ocks vlja att g in i dem med din egen erfaren-

het , fr att kanske komma ut p andra sidan . Eller s blir du kvar fast i

blyertsens fysiska materialitet fr evigt uppslukad . Sjlv r jag omtum-

lad och vill ha mer . ( Annika Gunnarsson )

Works in order of appearance :

Hstminne 120 150 cm 2008

Portal 100 130 cm 2008

Another diamond day 130 150 cm 2007

Katedralen i Ely 82 125 cm 2006

Gavel 100 65 cm 2008

Coop Kramfors 50 65 cm 2007

Jenny 100 130 cm 2008

Persienn 100 130 cm 2008

Hotell Kramm Kramfors 50 65 cm 2007

Balkongen 50 65 cm 2007

Det fysiska och det psykiska 50 65 cm 2007

Petter 140 200 cm 2008

La magnifica 100 130 cm 2009

Vg 2 65 100 cm 2008

Tunnel 90 130 cm 2008

Double shadow 82 125 cm 2006

Dream baby dream 90 130 cm 2009

Negativ 90 100 cm 2008

Fredrik Hofwander ( born 1973) lives and works in Stockholm

For further information please contact Stene Projects Stockholm

info @ steneprojects . se

Design Research and Development

Text Annika Gunnarsson

Photo Carl Henrik Tillberg

English translation Hans Olsson

Print Jernstrms Offset

Bookbinding Carl Svanberg Bokbinderi

Isbn 978-91-633-4343-8

Great thanks to Jan Stene

TA K E

H A N D

MIN

M Y

TA

H A N D