The text as an image and the print as an object, possible to experience with all our senses, has become my main interest as a visual artist. As a consequence of that, the musical aspect of the language, the text as a notation for the spoken word, has also caught my interest the last few years. Typewriting has become part of that path. 

Readability is a word that I keep coming back to. I try to find the balance between the readable text and the visual, the tactile and more intuitive understanding of a text or book. Maps and mapping is also something that I keep coming back to, as a kind of abstract language - readable or not.

To work with printmaking techniques is to me a way to communicate with the history of books and publishing. The book format has been a central part of my practice since my first solo show in 1996, both as one-of-a-kind books and printed limited editions (sometimes also digital printed in bigger editions). 

Scroll down to the bottom for a full CV and contact information.

Seminar at Malmö Art Gallery during MABB, Malmö Artists Book Biennial 2018: "Artists books - so what?"
lecture by Lina Nordenström (from 37:37 - 54:00) 
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0G9yC5rTGt4&feature=share

P4/Radio Västmanland i serien Konstnärssjälar, där Lina Nordenström porträtteras: 
http://sverigesradio.se/sida/gruppsida.aspx?programid=112&grupp=22205&artikel=6212231 


"B-arbetad O-Kunskap", 2018, edition 50, a story about the Swedish letter O

     
"Book/Room" was published in 2018, as part of the project Bibliotek Nordica, initiated by Codex Polaris.  

    

The Gutenberg Codex, 2017, 13x13 cm, 16 pages

    
Bookled printed 2016, text on the back of the cover:
"The open face of the child is following me; a moment of experience, not  yet formulated, mirrored in its eyes. Sticking its togue out to taste freedom. Listening.
Lonelinyess has no name, but I decided to call it The Child. The eyes of The Child are silent, but full of attention - opening up the whole world during a magic everlastingmoment. There to stay."
(Hocus Pocus has no meaning in Latin)

The body of space is the theme for this book. Raised spacing material used to print on transparant paper. Light and darkness, the void materialised. Letterpress printed, 2016. 

 "My desk as a stage" is a format I've used in several exhibitions, sometimes for performing texts with typewriters, but in this case with recorded sounds from three different artists books, as part of the exhibition "PrintXL" at Meken, a municipal art gallery in Smedjebacken in Sweden, during the summer 2016.

 Meken Smedjebacken 2016

     
an M-story (translated into O), letterpress printed 2016

    "enot le den"  typewrited and drawn as a ona-of-a-kind booklet, linocut on cover, paper from Lessebo papermill, 2014 

   "Vägbeskrivning", digital printed, 2001

   serie of letterpress printed booklets, 2010-2014

These spreads are from the booklet "JAG SKRIVER INTE" ("I DO NOT WRITE"), 2014

    The booklet "Instructions", 2011

  "Mekanikens Poetik" three letterpress printed boxes, based on three vowels: OEI, oei, size: 43x35 cm, 2010

 "page 184-185", drypoint on handmade linnen paper, 1995

 "Musical Notation I", lithography, 1996

 "Booked Room XVII", from a serie of 17 different objects, letterpress printed titel page, hard cover with wallpaper, 2006

 
Moa Martinson Square in Stockholm, public commission completed 2012, fragments from her books blastered in the stone

 Moa - from stone back to book, 2012, edition 100

 Of course 
I had to print from the sculptures at Moa Martinson Square, 2015. The similarities with the shapes of the presses is striking, is'nt it!

 
M2, letterpress, 55x60 cm, 2014 



         
tre små ord / three small words performed at Västerås Art Museum, Nov 28th, 2015, on a Corona Silent, a Silver Reed and a Facit electric.




Three Small Words and other pieces, like "dictation" ("dikt-amen"), has been performed at Jakobsbergs konsthall 2014, "The book to come" seminar at Gothenburg University 2015, Linköping Library and Västers Konstmuseum 2016, Malmö Art Gallery (see photo) 2017. 

CV

Lina Nordenström was born in Stockholm in 1963. She is primarily working with prints, drawings and artists’ books , but also with public commissions. She studied at Gothenburg University 1982-85, The College of Printmaking Arts in Stockholm 1991-95 and the Royal University College of Fine Arts in Stockholm from 2000 to 2002. Since 1995 she has been exhibiting regularly in Sweden and internationally.
Between 2007 and 2018 Lina Nordenström was a guest teacher on a regular basis at The University College of Arts, Crafts and Design, teaching about artists books and letterpress. At The College of Printmaking Arts in Stockholm she was the head of the letterpress area 2007-2010 and is now giving letterpress courses every year. Since 2009 she is running the print studio Grafikverkstan Godsmagasinet in Uttersberg, Sweden, together with her husband and colleage Lars Nyberg. 

Public collections:

Sackner Archive of Concrete and Visual Poetry
Bancroft Library, Berkeley University, USA
Victoria & Albert Museum, London
Tate Library, London
Bower Ashton Library collection, UWE, Bristol
The British Museum, London
Saison Poetry Library at Southbank Centre, London
*The National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin
Meermaano museum, Netherlands
National Gallery, Oslo
National Gallery, Warsawa
Kaliningrad Art Gallery
Chong Qing Artistic Association in China

Museum of Modern Art, Stockholm
The Royal Library, Stockholm
The Swedish Art Council
The Swedish Parliament
Norrköping Art Museum, Sweden
Sandviken Art Gallery, Sweden
Museum Anna Norlander, Sweden
Västerås Art Museum, Sweden

Prizes and awards:                       

Government Grant from The Arts Grants Committee 1998-99, 2003-04, 2010-11, 2016-17
Erik Wessel-Fougstedt Award, 2005
prize winner, Print Triennal, Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Stockholm 2003
Albert Bonniers Memorial Award for artists, 2003
Fellowship, The Ballinglen Arts foundation, Ballycastle County Mayo, Ireland 2002
Wilhelm Wohlfarths Travel Award 1997
”The Small Graphic Art Prize” The Center for Printmaking Arts in Mariefred 1995

Public commissions:                   

Hospital Library in Västerås, County of Västmanland, 2022
Stockholmshem, Bredäng, 2017
Falu Hospital, 2013
Moa Martinsons Square, Stockholm, 2012 
Uppsala County Public Transport Center, 2010
The Students House, University of Borlänge, 2004

Artists Book Fairs:

MABB, Marlmö Artists Book Biennial, 2018, 2022
CODEX Fair & Symposium, San Francisco, USA, 2019
Small Publishers Fair, Conway Hall, London, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019
BABF, Bergen Artists Book Fair, 2017
BABE, Bristol Artists Book Event, Arnolfini, 2017, 2019
FPBA Fine Press Book Fair, Oxford, 2015

Performances:

Marabouparken Art Gallery, with Sten Sandell, 2023
Kristiansands Art Gallery, 2023
Karmansbo Smith and Västanfors Powerstation, with Sten Sandell,, Region Västmanland, 2022
ArtLab, Västerås Art Museum, 2021
Poetry Festival New Goose, Skinnskatteberg 2019
Kulturscen Sandviken, 2019
Malmö Municipal Art Gallery, 2017
Västerås Art Museum, 2016
Gothenburg University, Literature Seminar, "The book to come",  2015
GG Studio Uttersberg, October Seminar: "Typewriting", 2015
Jakobsbergs Municipal Art Gallery, 2014
GG Studio Uttersberg, October Seminar: "my desk as a stage", 2013

Selection of solo exhibitions:         

Arboga Municipal Art Gallery (with Richard Årlin) 2019
Galleri Astley, Uttersberg, 2017
Jakobsbergs Municipal Art Gallery, Stockholm, 2014
Graphic Studio Gallery, Dublin, 2012
Ebeling Museum, Eskilstuna, 2011
Tengbom Hall, The Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Sweden, Stockholm, 2008
Original Print Gallery, Dublin, 2007
Galleri Astley, Uttersberg, 2006
Svenska Bilder Gallery, Stockholm, 1996, 2000, 2003 (and Sollentuna International Art Fair)
Books and scripts at the Swedish Parliaments new library for the opening ceremony, 1995

online exhibitions and event during the pandemic 2020:   
United in Isolation – an International Letterpress Festival  (live streamed film from GG Print Studio)
Letterpress Printers Respond to the Pandemic, curated by Peter Duffin
HOME, curated by Mellom Press, a multilingual visual poetry exhibition

Selection of group exhibitions:                       

Resemblance Through Contact - Grammar of Imprint, International Exhibition, Tartu Art House, Estonia
San Francisco Center for the Book, SFCB, 2019
National Print Triennale, Stockholm and Uppsala, 1992, 2003, 2007, 2014, 2020 
The Book Lab, Hauser&Wirth Somerset, UK, 2018
POSTED/UNPOSTED, a nordic collaborative book art project with release at Bergen Artists Book Fair, presented at Rönnells Antiquarian bookshop in Stockholm, Malmö Artists Book Biennial, Turn The Page Book Fair in Norwich UK, The Main Library in Viborg and Galleri Pi in Copenhagen, Denmark, 2017-18, Grafik i Väst Gothenburg, 2019
POSTED/UNPOSTED++, an extended version of the project exhibited at SFCB, San Francisco Center for the Book, 2019
"PrintXL", Meken, municipal art gallery in Smedjebacken Sweden, 2016
"The Magic Line", Nora Art, municipal art gallery in Nora Sweden, 2016
"Here and now - !", Västerås Art Museum, Sweden 2015-2016
Bok och Bild Festival, Kulturens Hus, Luleå, 2015
"Nordic Artists Books", Galleri Jangva, Helsinki, Galleri Astley, Uttersberg, 2015
"Exquisite Editions", international exhibition with private press books, The National Print Museum, Dublin, 2015
Galleri Astley i Uttersberg, 1996, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2016                                                     
Print Biennale, Kaliningrad Art Gallery, 2011
Book Art from Europe, Leksand Art Gallery, 2010
“Objects speaking beyond theories” Form Design Center, Malmö, Edsvik konsthall, Sollentuna, etc. 2009-2010
“Revelation”, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, 2008
Prints from Sweden, Mosambique, 2008
Swedish Prints, Galleri Snaeros, Island, 2008
Two Lines Gallery, Peking, 2007
Royal Hibernian Academy - annual exhibition, 2004, 2006
”Of place, in time”, Lavit Gallery, Cork, Ireland, 2006
"Swedish Graphic Art – from tradition to the future" in Ljubljana, Moldavia, Kaliningrad, Minsk 2004-08
ARTitecture, Grafikens Hus, Mariefred, 2001
“Northern Light – Contemporary Swedish Art”, Center forthe Arts, Vero Beach Florida, 2001
”The book as an object”  at Röhsska Museum, Gothenburg, 1996-97
Artists’ books, Grafikens Hus, Mariefred, 1996

Membership:                        
the National Swedish Printmakers Association
the Swedish Artists National Organization, KRO

Lectures/Teaching experiences (about my own work, artists books and letterpress):

Sichuan Fine Art Institute, China, 2020
University Collage of Arts, Crafts and Design (Konstfack), Stockholm - guest teacher on a regular basis between 2007 and 2018
The Collage of Printmaking Arts (Grafikskolan i Stockholm)  - guest teacher on a regular basis since about 2005
Malmö Artists Book Biennal, "Artists books - so what?", 2018
Dômen Art School, Gothenburg - book art courses between 2013-2016
Linköping University, "After the book", a symposium about swedish artists books at Linköping Library, 2016
Gothenburg University, Literature Seminar, "The book to come",  2015
Gothenburg University, Valand Academy, Litterary Composition - lecture, 2013
Royal Institute of Art (KKH Konsthögskolan), Stockholm - lecture/workshops, 2005/2012/2017

Studio Manager at Grafikverkstan Godsmagasinet, GG Print Studio
www.grafikverkstan.se

contact:
Lina Nordenström

mobile: +46-(0)73-5641167
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