Johan Wahlstrom's Dual Exhibitions Explore Faces in Abstraction and Social Media's Impact
Swedish artist Johan Wahlstrom showcased two exhibitions in New York: 'Collisions' at Georges Bergès Gallery, which ran from June 6 to June 30, 2019, highlighting abstract pieces featuring concealed faces, and 'From Warhol to Wahlstrom: From 60s Celebrity to Today’s Social Media' at Ethan Cohen Kube, displayed from October 18, 2018, to August 31, 2019, examining the intersection of celebrity culture and digital communication. The Beacon exhibition included a figurative work titled 'Punch Them Hard,' depicting Donald Trump, along with images sourced from Instagram. Influenced by his music career and curated by Paco Baragan, Wahlstrom's art reflects modern societal pressures, blending near-abstraction with figurative elements while commenting on the effects of social media on fame.
Key facts
- Johan Wahlstrom is a Swedish artist who moved to New York four years ago
- 'Collisions' exhibition ran from June 6 to June 30, 2019 at Georges Bergès Gallery in New York City
- 'From Warhol to Wahlstrom' exhibition ran from October 18, 2018 to August 31, 2019 at Ethan Cohen Kube in Beacon, New York
- Wahlstrom was a rock musician for eighteen years in Sweden, touring with Graham Parker and Ian Hunter
- The artist intentionally hides faces in abstract paintings for viewers to discover over time
- One painting features Donald Trump at a rally titled 'Punch Them Hard'
- Works reference concerns about Big Data surveillance highlighted in 'The Great Hack' documentary
- The Beacon exhibition was developed with curator Paco Baragan
Entities
Artists
- Johan Wahlstrom
- Andy Warhol
- Wassily Kandinsky
- Claude Monet
- Piet Mondrian
- Willem de Kooning
- Lee Krasner
- Graham Parker
- Ian Hunter
- Michael Jackson
- Vladimir Putin
- Jeff Koons
- Donald Trump
Institutions
- Ethan Cohen Kube
- Georges Bergès Gallery
- Whitechapel Gallery
- Cambridge Analytica
- Studio 54
Locations
- New York
- United States
- Beacon
- New York City
- Sweden
- Southern Spain
- Spain
- London
- United Kingdom
- Mahwah
- Ramapo
- New Jersey