Karin Mamma Andersson

Galleri Magnus Karlsson, Stockholm
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

Venice, La Biennale Internazionale dell'Arte L, 2003
Stockholm, Moderna Museet; Helsingfors, Helsingin Taidehalli; London, Camden Arts Centre, Mamma Andersson, 2007

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustrationa are fairly accurate. Condition: This work is in very good condition. There is evidence of light wear to the edges and the left corner tips. No restoration is apparent when examined under ultra-violet light.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

At once visually striking and curiously distorted, Touched by Gods presents the kind of fragmented narrative that characterises much of Andersson’s work. Clean lines and blocks of colour, orchestrated with a typically Scandinavian restraint, present the familiar environment of a museum gift shop lit by a glare of strip lighting. Yet this is a gift shop like no other; sparsely populated by ghostly figures, a half finished canvas stands at the back and the walls are lined with paintings by the likes of Peter Doig and Sidney Nolan. Against the backdrop of this fragile reality the real action of the painting seems to be taking place on the floor of the shop, where we can glimpse a vision of Ernst Josephson’s Assasination of Riccio c. 1890. As this violent episode plays out, the floor seems to bleed away into another world - the question of whether that is out towards the world of the viewer or off into the murky world of Tudor conspiracy is left open.

Andersson acknowledges the profound influence of Josephson in her work, "As a Swedish painter there is no getting around Ernst Josephson, he is very interesting both as a sane painter as well as a mentally ill drawer; he comes and goes in my work" (the artist in interview, ‘The unvarnished place: Painter Mamma Andersson on ‘Gooseberry’..., Culture Critic, 13 May 2013). Art historical context is an integral part of Andersson’s creative process and art and artwork populate her paintings. In Touched by Gods the overtly artistic references present us with multiple realities or non-realities; Andersson forces us to contemplate a proliferation of painted images and consider their relevance when viewed out of context. The juxtaposition of the stillness of the museum shop and the dynamism of the scene on the floor, of an imagined yet recognisable reality with a recreated depiction of a historical event, creates a palimpsest of time and space that lingers suggestively in the mind.