Jan Svenungsson is a Swedish conceptual artist whose interdisciplinary practice spans drawing, photography, text and sculpture. Born in Lund in 1961, he now lives and works in Berlin and Vienna.
"Current", clubbed for 2 159 GBP at Crafoord Auktioner Lund.
Chimneys and photographic series
Svenungsson’s artistic practice is marked by conceptual depth and a playful approach to form and material. He is perhaps best known for his “Chimney Project”, a series of sculptural chimneys constructed in various locations, each one meter taller than the last. The project has been realised in cities such as Stockholm, Taejon, Kotka, Brandenburg, Norrköping, Münsterland, Buxtehude, Wanås and Uppsala, with the tallest reaching 19 meters.
He has also produced photographic series, including collaborations with Ola Billgren, and created “bloodstain paintings” (blodfläcksmålningar), numbered Test 1–149. His work often explores themes of language, perception and the boundaries between art and everyday life.
Oil on canvas, clubbed for 1 053 GBP at Stockholms Auktionsverk.
A European Presence
Jan Svenungsson has held professorships at several institutions, including the University of Gothenburg’s School of Photography and Film, the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki and, since 2011, the University of Applied Arts in Vienna. His work is represented in major collections such as Moderna Museet in Stockholm, Berlinische Galerie in Berlin, Städel Museum in Frankfurt am Main, Musée de l’histoire contemporaine in Paris and Daejeon Museum of Art in South Korea.