Artist Interview: Undun Magazine

Andreas Sjöstrand experiences performance as an extension of drawing — what he calls “an even deeper study of the self.” The visual artist creates intricately crafted abstract and figurative drawings that encompass elements of consciousness, existence, and time. By adding performance, he invites viewers to witness the evolution of drawing in real time — moment to moment, beginning to middle to end. Sjöstrand, who comes across as sharply self-aware, is keen on discovering spiritual freedom, specifically the ways in which the ego can hinder the creative process. That’s the crux of “Linescapes of Imperfection,” Sjöstrand’s live drawing exhibition about surrendering to the uncertainty of outcome. The piece examines the dichotomy of precision and spontaneity, of order and chaos. Sjöstrand, a visiting artist from Sweden, recently completed a residency at Mothership NYC, an artist-run collective that supports international artists as they create and present their work at monthly salons and exhibits. We had the pleasure of attending his debut performance of “Boundaries of Self” and later sitting down for an intimate conversation about drawing, performance, and the study of self. Below, we share some excerpts from our interview at Mothership.

ON “BOUNDARIES OF SELF”

“Boundaries of Self” is a live piece that explores the metaphysical borders of the psyche. Sjöstrand stood bare bodied with a permanent black marker in his hand. He began by drawing a smooth line down the middle of his forehead. Without ever breaking, he extended the line from his torso to his back to his toes and then to several feet away from him. As he repeated this action, contorting down and under and around and over, the drawing and movement gelled into a unified, inseparable rhythm. For several minutes, the audience closely watched the black lines accumulate on the ground and multiply all over his body.

MADDIE: What was the inspiration behind this piece?

ANDREAS: In my meditation practice, one of the key things I’m interested in is: What is actually the self? Where are the borders? This piece was a way for me to visually represent it and explore it. It was symbolic. I’ve been thinking about what feels most like the self. In one sense, sight feels very connected to the self, touch ... but also this area (points to center space above eyebrows). If I think about what feels like the self, it’s very much here. And the foot is less of the self.

MADDIE: Oh yeah, I felt a lot of emphasis on the third eye.

ANDREAS: Yeah, the third eye is a central point. I was traveling from the felt sense of what’s most the self to what’s least the self. That was the journey.

MADDIE: You seemed very grounded and focused during the performance. How aware of the audience were you?

ANDREAS: I think I became more aware towards the end. But in the beginning, I was most focused on the inner process. I hadn’t made a decision beforehand if I wanted to be closed down or see the audience. But, somewhere during the process, I wanted to catch a glimpse of the people around.

MADDIE: Right. It didn’t seem to me that a direct kind of audience relationship was essential for the flow of the piece. It felt like you were in your space exploring and we were observing what was unfolding in front of us.

ANDREAS: Yes.

ON THE INTERSECTION OF DRAWING, MOVEMENT, AND PERFORMANCE

MADDIE: So, you started doing performance after drawing. How did that interest come about?

ANDREAS: About four or five years back, I started going to these free dancing classes, which I just love. And that reconnected me to the movement. I did a lot of sports when I was younger. But, then I found this kind of dancing and very much enjoyed that — just letting the body do whatever it feels like. With the drawings, I was already incorporating movement. Drawing was a lot about the act of drawing. It just came together. It became obvious that I should incorporate performance.

MADDIE: So, the movement of the body is a key focus in your drawing process. It seems like there’s a momentum, a strong physical energy that goes into the actual composition of lines and shapes.

ANDREAS: Yes. The body leaves a mark on the paper because of the body and its anatomy, how we are constructed as humans. With drawing, there’s places where it’s more flowing and messier. That’s because of what the body is able to do in certain positions. I like how the body leaves a mark.

ON PERSONAL FREEDOM

MADDIE: To me, your work very much feels like an exploration of personal freedom. Does that resonate? How do you define freedom?

ANDREAS: Freedom is a very central word in my life. I define it as not having to answer to anyone else. With that, there also comes the freedom of being who I want to and where I want to. It’s also a feeling. With drawing … whatever isn’t perfectly precise is okay. Showing the imperfections of human beings is also a source of beauty.