Maja Eriksson (They/them)

(b.1996, Linköping) is a Swedish artist based in Glasgow.

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Four small tales, or perhaps studies, or perhaps diary entries, refuse to unfold before us. Repressed mumblings, scribbled secret notes and belted out confessions, memories floating on the surface of the canvas like ghostly corner-of-the-eyes, and a red thread trembles from one end of the labyrinth to the other; who did you love, and when, and why? In what way, and by whose standards?

One painting is suspended like a tanning hide, and five friends are simultaneously suffering – perhaps at the hands of each other – on a slim shelf high above the ground. There is a hint of activity in the hands reaching in to feed, assist and choke, but ultimately this is a quiet, clean space where no one dares raise their eyes to meet the audience or confront the impact of their words.

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To the right:

By whose hand?
2021-2022. Approx. 170x120cm. Acrylic ink, oil paint and pencil on canvas.