Born 1974 in Umeå, Sweden. Lives in New York, US.
Snöfrid born in Treriksröset, Lives inside the mirrors.
The boundary between Ylva Ogland’s private life and art is fuzzy. In an indefatigably consistent processing of her own childhood, she combines paintings and objects that cross-fertilise and reflect each other in installations resembling stage sets. Her works are characterised by a singularly personal narrative alongside references to art history. In one of the two works featured here, part of the title, Inverted Venus at her Mirror, is borrowed from a work by Velazquez. The painting incorporates three parallel eras: early childhood, represented by the cupboard, which is a replica of one her father made for her bedroom; the portrait showing the artist aged 11; and finally, a reflection showing Ogland today. In recent years, an alter ego has appeared in her imagery, a twin sister by the Norse name of Snöfrid, an imaginary character who has increasingly assumed an autonomous life. In Snöfrid at her Mirror, Amethyst, the childhood cupboard recurs twice, along with the mirror that serves as a window into Snöfrid’s world.
Education
1998 Royal University College of Fine Arts, M.F.A., Stockholm, SE
Selected bibliography
Madeleine Norling: “Oglandia”, KONSTNÄREN, nr. 2, 2009
Lars-Erik Hjertström Lappalinen: “The Mirror and the peephole”, Code Magazine, nr. 9, 2009
Bo Madestrand: “Svarta ljus I natten”, Dagens Nyheter, 22.1.2009
Laura Allsop: “The Oracle talks to Laura Allsop”, Tank Magazine, 10th Anniversary Special,
Nicola Trezzi: “Studio Visit: Ylva Ogland”, www.flashartonline.com, 2008
www.ylvaogland.com