Tom Kvém
About Tom Kvém
Borås, Sweden
Presentation: From Stage to Canvas
About the artist
I have spent my life sculpting movement in time and space. As a dancer and choreographer, I am accustomed to the solitary process in the studio—the searching work in private that ultimately meets an audience on stage. Now I have moved that stage space to paper.
My paintings are a continuation of my choreography. Where I once used my body, I now use quick, blue-black brushstrokes to capture the essence of movement.
About the art and “Do you see the magpie?”
In my creative work, I explore the androgynous borderland where form dissolves and pure energy takes over. It is a movement in the boundless.
By working with a putty knife (and sometimes my fingers) in blue-black and white, and then framing the wildness in a precise passe-partout, I create order in the chaos. Each work is a frozen moment of an escape that refuses to be fixed.
“Do you see the magpie?”
Original paintings in acrylic.
• Technique: Mixed media with artist acrylics (Lefranc Bourgeois & Panduro Professional) for a unique depth and matte snow effects.
• Paper: Painted with a palette knife on Fabriano acid-free artist paper (250 g/m²) with a heavy surface weight that guarantees long durability and prevents the motif from yellowing over time.
• Dimensions: The sheet is cut to 30x40 cm to fit perfectly in standard frames.
• Framing tip: The artwork is best presented with a white passe-partout (e.g., in IKEA's RÖDALM 30x40cm). The black edge frames the motif and gives the composition focus.
• Durability: For maximum longevity, we recommend placing the artwork out of direct sunlight.
As a former professional dancer, my artistic process is a physical choreography on canvas. I explore the essence of movement through the series ‘Ser du skatan’ (Do you see the magpie), where the motif blends into the background in a Nordic palette of white and blue-black. My work focuses on transformation and the moment when form dissolves into pure energy."
Welcome to my blue space
My name is Tom Kvém and I am swedish.
www.tomwork.se
Please note: The back of the sheet features the artist’s signature and the title of the painting. The text accompanying the painting can be read or copied here in the gallery or at www.tomwork.se
Artist Statement: Ser du skatan? (Do you see the magpie?)
As a former professional dancer and award-winning choreographer, my work exists at the intersection of movement, sound, and visual art.
In my series "Ser du skatan?", I explore the boundary where a sharp silhouette meets the void. Working with a unique blue-black hue, I allow the subject to dissolve and merge with its surroundings—a reflection on existence, vulnerability, and transformation.
The series is accompanied by a site-specific performance. Dressed in a tuxedo with a white shirt, I personify the magpie’s transformation through a meticulously choreographed sequence. To a soundscape of bird calls, crunching snow, and recorded poetic fragments, the rigid masculine form is deconstructed. Using white paint hidden in my palm, the "magpie" begins to draw itself onto my body and suit during the dance—a raw yet controlled metamorphosis from the pristine to the organic.
My art is an invitation to witness the moment when order breaks, and something wild and authentic takes its place. www.tomwork.se
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)