Erik Sigerud (b. 1977) is a Swedish contemporary artist and painter based in Stockholm. Trained at the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts in Paris (MFA 2004) and the Berlin University of the Arts, he combines formal painting techniques with conceptual rigor. Over two decades his work has appeared in numerous solo and group exhibitions across Sweden and Europe (including Stockholm’s Nordin Gallery, Rättvik Konsthall, and the Liljevalchs Spring Salon). Sigerud’s paintings are held in public and private collections (e.g. Uppsala Art Museum) and he has received honors such as grants from the Swedish Arts Grants Committee and the Paul-Louis Weiller Prize in France. His practice engages themes of perception, media, and politics, reflecting the concerns of a 21st-century visual culture.
Biography and Background
Erik Sigerud grew up in Dalarna, Sweden, and today lives and works in Stockholm. He earned his MFA from the Beaux-Arts de Paris in 2004 (with an Erasmus exchange at the Universität der Künste Berlin in 2003–04). He has also pursued studies in art and philosophy in Stockholm. Early in his career he exhibited internationally (notably in Paris and at Supermarket Art Fair, Stockholm) and by 2008 had solo shows like Absurdia at Stockholm’s Nordin Gallery. In subsequent years he mounted major one-person exhibitions such as Levels of Intentionality (Tyresö konsthall, 2016) and Demarcations (Rättviks konsthall, 2018). Sigerud’s output spans painting, drawing and even audio/video work, but above all he centers on oil painting as his primary medium. His art has drawn official recognition: for example, Sweden’s national art grant body and the Swedish Institute have funded his projects, and he won a French foundation prize. These accomplishments mark him as an established figure in contemporary Nordic art.
Artistic Style and Conceptual Approach
Sigerud’s paintings are characterized by dense layering of motifs, textures, and narratives. He frequently overlays figurative fragments (architectural elements, human figures, everyday objects) with bold, abstract brushwork. As one profile notes, “Sigerud mixes figuration with non-figurative painting in several layers,” creating “dystopian scenes” that reflect contemporary culture and the “normative man” within it. In his own words, he explores how “subjective experiences and shared stories shape the way we see the world.” His process “begins with layering – figures, shapes, and abstract forms [that] come together to create a tension between what feels familiar and strange”: eriksigerud.com.
Much of Sigerud’s content comes from juxtaposing disparate elements. He describes painting as generating two kinds of encounter: a visual one (where “discrepant painterly expressions” – i.e. mixed styles and motifs – create a mental quagmire) and a conceptual one (the clash between his own worldview and the media-fed “world view” seen in news and images). He collects source images from family photo albums, newspaper clippings and internet image searches, then weaves them into canvases that deliberately unsettle the viewer. Rather than illustrating a clear message, Sigerud’s works often feel like allegorical dreamscapes: ordinary objects or figures appear in uncanny settings or repeating geometric frames. For example, one painting (shown above) depicts a white, open rectangular “window” floating above an expressionistic wheat field under a cobalt sky. This creates a layered effect – a framed view pointing toward an interior, yet without a visible artist or model – inviting reflection on how media “frames” our perception.
Despite the political undertones, Sigerud resists didacticism. An interviewer observed that he addresses political issues “not explicitly or propagandistically, but with subtlety”. In practice, he treats painting as a way to document personal and collective anxieties without prescribing answers. As he has said, he tries to make “paintings that create a presence and a feeling of an encounter with the viewer,” provoking “uncertainty” that mirrors the ambiguity of modern life. Visually, recurring themes in his work include symbolic architecture (doors, windows, frames) and fragmented figures, set against turbulent brushwork in rich, often jarring colors. Overall, his style balances figurative narrative with pure painterly gesture, consistently seeking a middle ground between control and chance, familiarity and the uncanny.
Major Exhibitions and Professional Milestones
Sigerud’s career has featured a steady series of exhibitions and milestones. Selected solo exhibitions include:
- 2025 – “A Third Place,” Bollnäs Konsthall (Bollnäs, Sweden).
- 2023 – “Between Appearance and Reality,” Galleri Artem (Stockholm).
- 2018 – “Demarcations,” Rättviks konsthall (Rättvik, Sweden).
- 2013 – “The Other,” Gocart Gallery (Visby, Sweden).
- 2008 – “Absurdia,” Nordin Gallery (Stockholm).
He has also shown in important group contexts: for instance, he participated in the Imago Mundi – Luciano Benetton Collection (Venice) and was selected for the Liljevalchs Spring Salon in Stockholm. Sigerud’s work is represented in various collections, and he has been featured in museum exhibitions (such as the Museum of Artistic Process and Public Art in Lund). Alongside painting exhibitions, he has expanded into public art projects and installations, and he has contributed to books and journals on contemporary art. These exhibitions and projects have established him as a fixture of Sweden’s art scene.
Theoretical Frameworks Underpinning His Practice
Sigerud’s work is deeply informed by contemporary theory. In his doctoral research he explicitly invokes a range of thinkers to frame his questions about painting. For example:
- Maurice Merleau-Ponty (Phenomenology): Emphasizes the embodied nature of perception. Sigerud aligns with Merleau-Ponty’s view that “the body is not a passive receiver of the world, but an active participant in shaping how meaning arises”: eriksigerud.com. This underlies Sigerud’s concept of “tactile thinking” (discussed further below).
- Jacques Rancière (Aesthetics/Politics): His idea of the “emancipated spectator” – that the viewer plays an active role in constructing meaning – resonates with Sigerud’s open-ended imagery and his desire to engage viewers in interpretation.
- David Joselit (Painting in the Digital Age): In Painting Beside Itself, Joselit describes how contemporary painting functions in a network of images and detours media circulation. Sigerud draws on this by explicitly considering “media images” and their relation to painting. His work frequently questions how vernacular, mass-produced visuals can be reframed by hand.
Historically, his project situates painting between modernist autonomy (Clement Greenberg) and postmodern politicization (Hal Foster). He argues that, in today’s image-saturated, digital world, painting’s slower, material processes offer a critical counterpart to the rapid flow of digital media. His research theme – Between Autonomy and Engagement – frames painting as a medium that both asserts its own autonomy and yet meaningfully engages socio-political narratives. In sum, Sigerud synthesizes phenomenology, critical theory and media studies to explore painting’s role as a mediator between individual perception and collective imagery.
Practice-Based Research and Contribution to Contemporary Visual Culture
Sigerud practices what he preaches: painting itself is the research method. He often describes his process in bodily, experimental terms. Each work begins with drawing or digital collage – arranging motifs and icons in Photoshop – but is completed through the physical act of painting. As he writes: “Painting is not just what I do—it’s how I think. It’s a form of tactile thinking… a method that begins in the body and unfolds through the hand”. his emphasis on material engagement reflects Merleau-Ponty’s insight that meaning can precede language. In Sigerud’s studio, the canvas “pushes back”, meaning he responds improvisationally to paint’s resistance and texture. He notes that his body often “already knows something” before conscious ideas emerge.
Key aspects of his practice-based research include:
- Embodied Materiality: He treats paint, brush, and surface as active collaborators. Every material choice – from a thick oil impasto to a translucent glaze – is an experiment in how texture and time affect perception. He has said, “I don’t use materials to serve concepts. I use them to challenge concepts… [materiality] can shift the entire direction of a painting.” In this way, the physical act of painting generates new ideas rather than merely illustrating pre-set ones.
- Layered Experimentation: Sigerud often overlays dozens of paint layers, combining figurative stencils or transfers (from his sketches and photo references) with abstract passages. He advances each painting “as far as possible” in preparation (via collage and 3D modeling) but ultimately cedes control to the process. The final canvases are composite images – a palimpsest of media-sourced content and his own painterly traces.
- Political Imaginaries: While reflexive and formal, his practice has clear socio-political aims. He describes his paintings as “cracks between collective stories and a subjective understanding of events”.. In other words, he visualizes the mental images and emotions underlying public narratives. For instance, he frames his own fears (of fascism, climate change, etc.) within each piece’s structure. The research outcome is intended not only as a series of artworks but as a critical investigation: at the planned conclusion Sigerud will exhibit new paintings that embody his findings and reflect on them in writing.
Through this practice-led research, Sigerud contributes to contemporary art discourse on several fronts. He argues for the continuing autonomy of painting even as it dialogues with digital culture. By foregrounding painting’s temporal and tactile qualities, he shows how canvases can critique the flattened, instantaneous imagery of screens. His work also promotes a phenomenological approach: in an era of hyper-visibility, he reminds viewers that meaning also emerges through touch, texture and time. Overall, his research expands understanding of how a “traditional” medium like oil painting can remain vital and critical within today’s visual environment.
Critical Reception and Influence
Art critics and peers have recognized the complexity of Sigerud’s work. Reviews often note that he confronts contemporary issues obliquely rather than simply illustrating them. For example, a 2018 interview was titled “The thing that frightens me the most is the growth of populist right-wing movements and fascist parties in Europe,” quoting Sigerud directly to highlight his political concerns. This reflects how openly he connects his painting to current events. At the same time, reviewers remark on his nuance: one Swedish newspaper described his Rättvik exhibition as “political art without preachiness”. Another critic observed that Sigerud’s works “go directly into clinch with the present,” as in canvases mixing personal family scenes with newspaper imagery to question the media’s influence..
Sigerud’s influence extends beyond exhibitions. He has published essays and artist-reflections (such as “Painting as Tactile Thinking”) that contribute to debates on materiality and research in art. He has lectured and led workshops on experimental painting methods. Collectors and institutions paying attention to contemporary Nordic art take note of his work: for instance, his pieces have been acquired by art museums and he has been featured in curated global projects (Imago Mundi, etc.). In sum, while avoiding generic praise, one can say that Sigerud is seen as a rigorous thinker and maker – a painter whose conceptual depth and formal innovation mark him as a distinctive figure in the contemporary art landscape.
Sources: The above draws on Sigerud’s own writings and interviews, his CV and exhibition records, and reviews in the art press.These sources document his biography, conceptual statements, exhibitions and the theoretical texts (Merleau-Ponty, Rancière, Joselit, etc.) that inform his doctoral research plan.