About
CFHILL is proud to present Adam Ytterberg’s third solo exhibition, Torun och farmor på Vinklumpsvägen, featuring a new suite of paintings where imagined characters inhabit spaces suspended between reality and reverie. Tangible yet dreamlike, these settings serve as stages for existential exploration, where questions of identity, belonging, and ecological collapse unfold through painterly richness and narrative precision.
Ytterberg’s maximalist compositions act as acts of re-enchantment in a disenchanted world. Drawing on myth, animation, and pop-cultural references, he constructs a visual cosmos that is at once familiar and uncanny. His
recurring figures, rendered with meticulous brushwork and vibrant color, move through landscapes charged with symbolism and emotional depth.
Influenced by artists such as Otto Dix and Jenny Nyström, Ytterberg tells stories of specific human experiences against dark, fantastical backdrops. Anthropomorphic creatures and fairytale-like landscapes—echoing classical children’s stories—are painted in a style blending naturalism with the whimsy of Donald Duck. Humor and eccentricity emerge as tools for coping with themes of identity, sexuality, and environmental uncertainty.
Ytterberg’s technical mastery and narrative inventiveness are equally striking. His characters borrow elements from the cartoons of his youth, rendered with the vivid realism of Bruno Liljefors and the playful energy of animation. Narratively, his work recalls Tove Jansson’s Moomin stories, using allegory to navigate psychological and societal concerns. In a world facing ecological crises, Ytterberg’s paintings argue for a renewed sense of wonder and attentiveness to the intelligence of nature.
A 2023 graduate of Konstfack, Adam Ytterberg has quickly established himself as a distinctive voice in Sweden’s contemporary art scene. His work is currently also on view at Ebelingmuseet in Eskilstuna. With Torun och farmor på Vinklumpsvägen, he continues to expand his universe of allegorical storytelling, merging technical precision with imaginative vision to create works that are deeply personal yet universally resonant.
