ERIK THOR SANDBERG
In a new series of paintings Erik Thor Sandberg depicts Death as humanity’s constant companion, a catalyst shaping us in ways of which we may or may not be aware. Manipulating us to the core, Death prunes old habits and outmoded ways of thinking, nurtures us to grow stronger and bear fruit, unlocks our inner potential, ripens us to our best vintage, and brings out our hidden qualities with seasoning through time.
“Death pushes and pulls you in directions all the time without you knowing.” -Erik Thor Sandberg
“The skeleton in these paintings represents Death, but not necessarily physical death. It could embody the end of a relationship, the passing of a period of time, or some other kind of change in a person’s life.” -Erik Thor Sandberg
Erik Thor Sandberg, Respite (detail), 2020, oil on panel, 13 x 11 inches.
“Psychologically insightful, Sandberg’s paintings are nightmarish tales of our age: angst, worry, and pressure pushed to the absurd. Brutalist in narrative, beautiful in execution, they are fundamentally paradoxical. They reveal mastery, and hide mystery... and hope is somewhere beneath it. As the artist says: I paint about less fun parts of life yet with signs of hope.” -Vesela Sretenović, Senior Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC., exhibition catalog: ERIK THOR SANDBERG, American University Museum, Katzen Arts Center (Washington, D.C. 2018).
Erik Thor Sandberg (b. 1975, Quantico, VA) lives and works in Washington, DC. His work has been exhibited at public and private venues internationally, including the Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, MD; American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center, Washington, DC; Montserrat College of Art, Beverly, MA; and Baker Museum, Naples, FL. Sandberg's paintings are in numerous international private collections.