Gunnel Wåhlstrand

Gunnel Wåhlstrand’s skilful large-scale wash drawings in Indian ink are characterised by an almost incredible precision. Her technique is carried to the uttermost, and creates the illusion that what we see are enlargements of old photographs. Her source of inspiration is her family’s photo album with pictures from some time in the forties and fifties. She admits us to silent middle class drawing rooms and we gaze out over serene landscapes. There are no traces in her images of the tragedies that life can bring. Wåhlstrand trained at the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm among other places. Her overall production is not large if judged by quantity. Each painting is the outcome of a tiring and time consuming process. One spilt drop means the work has to be begun again. The work also involves her spending time with the photographs and familiarizing herself with her own family history. Her art is a method by which Gunnel Wåhlstrand can establish a relationship with close relatives that she has never met.