Makode Linde

An artist who challenges boundaries and creates a unique visual world where humor and darkness intertwine.
Makode Linde, born in 1981 in Stockholm, studied at Adolf Fredrik’s Music School, the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm, California College of the Arts, and Konstfack University of Arts, Crafts and Design.
His artistic practice has sparked both attention and debate, and his works have been exhibited in several prominent venues, including:
• Afromantics, Kleerup Gallery, Stockholm
• XXL, Kungsträdgården, Stockholm
• The Return of the Negro King, Kulturhuset, Stockholm
• Afromantics, VIDA Museum & Art Hall
• 300 Virgins, Galleri Agardh & Tornvall, Stockholm
• Galerie Neger, Galerie Leger, Malmö
Through the project Afromantics, Linde has developed an artistic universe encompassing performance, sculpture, painting, music, text, and scenography. His works have not only been shown in galleries and museums but have also become part of a wider societal discussion. He gained particular attention for Painful Cake at Moderna Museet in 2012 and for the controversial exhibition The Return of the Negro King at Kulturhuset in 2016. Linde himself emphasizes that the reactions his art provokes are a central part of the work.
Makode Linde explores questions of race, identity, and power through a satirical lens. His art is a hybrid of personal experiences and historical traumas, where slavery and oppression are depicted through pop-cultural references and humor. The result is art that is equal parts laughter and darkness — accessible yet profoundly challenging.