September 12 – October 5, 2024
Opening reception: Thursday, September 12, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Märta König’s work is characterised by spontaneity and an openness to the unexpected. While her primary medium is painting, she is also drawn to drawing, sculpture, and objects. By working impulsively and without overanalyzing, she allows her experiences, memories, and impressions—both conscious and unconscious—to guide her creative process. This approach infuses her work with a unique dynamism, where every brushstroke is a response to an internal and external dialogue.
König describes her artistic process as an interplay between inner and outer worlds, where painting becomes a form of guidance—a way to follow visual impressions and the path that unfolds, step by step. She is inspired by sociologist Hartmut Rosa’s concept of resonance, where one allows oneself to be called upon by the external world and responds to its impulses, leading to an inner transformation. The uncontrollable nature of resonance means that, for Märta König, the creative process is about being receptive and open to transformation.
Märta König is born in 1969 and residing in Ålands Västerby, Vänge. She is educated at The Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm and the Fria Målarskolan in Halmstad. The exhibition Förvandling (Transformation) is Märta König's first solo exhibition at Galleri Helle Knudsen. König has previously exhibited at venues such as Kramfors Konsthall (2023), Galleri Hammarén in Gothenburg (2022), Galleri Ingela S in Stockholm (2019), Galleri Persson in Malmö (2011), Galleri Anders Lundmark in Stockholm (2008), and Konstnärshuset in Stockholm (2006).
In 2021, she was awarded the Erland Cullberg Scholarship and held a scholarship exhibition at Anna Bohman Gallery in Stockholm. König has also received grants from the Nordic Artists Center Dale (2023), the Swedish Arts Grants Committee (2023, 2021), Kramfors Municipality (2022), and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (2019, 2014, 2011, 2006).
Märta König, Self-portrait with nostrils, oil on panel, 50 x 40 cm
Märta König, Ales, oil on canvas, 63 x 76 cm
Märta König, Marshall, oil on canvas, 48 x 64 cm