Mia Hultgren

Swedish fibre artist Mia Hultgren studied at the The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Schools of Architecture, Design and Conservation (BA) in Copenhagen and later at the Royal College of Art (MA) in London. We first came across her work during the summer of 2022 as Mia was one of 12 artists selected to participate in the NAA x Summer Exhibition. The work exhibited, entitled Birds Nest, was a hand-woven wall hanging incorporating texture, form and negative space in a neutral palette. It was brilliantly executed and so began our curiosity….

In the expanded field of textiles, Mia Hultgren’s practice is an exploration of contradictions and transformation - both in material as in the subject. Through an exploratory and experimental process in various textile techniques, and sometimes with material that goes beyond fibers, she works in the field of tension that arises between material, form, and colour. She is very close to the material in the process of making, where both a tactile and physical relationship is created between the artist and the material - where the finished work often also says something about the process. Her work emerges from the inspiration of her surrounding environment and life - a surface, form, or aspects of being a social human. Through the materials and form, and with methods of repetition, layering, and connecting she investigates systems, forms, and feelings.

‘My practice is cross-disciplinary and focused on tactility. It is based on a continuous exploration and  experimental “hands-on” approach, where texture, form and colour play a central role. I am driven by immersion in material and techniques, exploring its possibilities and limitations. I work with various textile techniques including, weave, embroidery, needle felting, hand tufting and print, as well as materials such as ceramic, plastic, and metal. ‘

Recurring themes in her work are time, translucence, negative space, deconstruction, and reconstruction. As her work constitutes a tangible form of fragments and memories from places and life one finds secrets, reflections, and a curiosity to keep exploring hidden in the haptic surfaces.

‘Without a surprise in the process of creating, it would be meaningless to me. I need to develop and learn while making.’

We are delighted to represent Mia Hultgren as a Guest Artists at the Nordic Art Agency.

Installation images from the ASPECTS exhibition

Lacuna can be seen as a landscape of grass turning into water - continuing to the horizon and sunset.

The inspiration for the work is taken from nature and its organic forms and the themes that have been worked within the process; forms, in-between forms, balance, imbalance, the actual and the imaginary.

As the title indicates, the structure of the work consists of an unfilled space or void, missing parts where perhaps there should be or previously was something. In manuscripts and texts lacuna means that words, sentences or entire sections are missing. In order to reconstruct the original text and fill in the gaps that exist, the entire context needs to be considered as interpretations.

The context and the whole are important. Where missing words and sentences can be seen as a problem for understanding a text, a context, it can also provide space for one’s own thoughts, ideas and conclusions. It is precisely this that interests me about cavities or in-between forms, that they are nothing and yet something at the same time. An empty indefinable non-form or the hole that is the shape, created by the surrounding matter.

- Mia Hultgren

Circle Spread Apart

Hand Tufted Wool

19 x 36 cm

7 000 Kr / 620 €

Circle Connected

Hand Tufted Wool

19 x 36 cm

8 000 Kr / 700 €

Circle Bend Over

Hand Tufted Wool

16 x 20 cm

7 000 Kr / 620 €

Artist Biography

Education

2016-2018 Royal College of Art (UK) - Masters in Textile and Mixed Media

2012-2015 Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts (DK), Schools of Textile Architecture, Design and Conservation (dk) - Bachelor of Textile

2012-2015 Lunds Konst/Designskola (se) 2 year preparation course in art, design and architecture

Exhibitions

2023

Textila illusioner, Cozmo galleri, solo exhibition, Lund (se)

Aspects, Nordic Art Agency, solo exhibition, Malmö (se)

Rum til Ro, Riises Landsted, duo exhibition, Copenhagen (dk)

Going Pro, Southern Sweden Design Days, group exhibition, Malmö (se)

BISE x SSDD, Southern Sweden Design Days, group exhibition, Malmö (se)

SPOTS, Form/Design center, groupexhibition, Malmö (se)

2022

NAA Winter Exhibition, Nordic Art Agency, group exhibition, Malmö (se)

ORUBBLIG OCH SKÖR, Malmö Gallerihelg, duo exhibition, Malmö (se)

Glimpse, Österängens konsthall Studio 476, solo exhibition, Jönköping (se)

NAA Summer Exhibition, Nordic Art Agency, group exhibition, Malmö (se)

Proximity - Adorno, Southern Sweden Design Days, group exhibition, Malmö (se)

2019

WIP - Nordic Indigo Master class, Statens Værksteder for Kunst, group exhibition, Copenhagen (dk)

2018

A thread is only a line, London Design Festival, group exhibition, London (uk)

Graduation Show, Royal College of Art, groupexhibition, London (uk)

Make, Royal College of Art, groupexhibition, London (uk)

2017

Work in progress, Royal College of Art, groupexhibition, London (uk)

Body construction, Malmö Gallerinatt, duo exhibition, Malmö (se) 2013 Work in progress, KADK, groupexhibition, Copenhagen (dk)

2012

Report from a tent, Kulturen, groupexhibition, Lund (se)

Flags, Lunds Botanical Garden, groupexhibition, Lund (se)

Tunnel project, Lunds Kommun, permanent artinstallation, Lund (se)

2010

Spektrum, Lundagård, groupexhibition, Lund (SE)

Grants and Awards

2018 Texprint Appointed top 50 strength of work

2018 Gåslövsstiftelsen Educational scholarship

2017 Jönköpings borgarekasse och bjuggska fonden Educational scholarship

2015 Jönköpings borgarekasse och bjuggska fonden Educational scholarship

Artist Talk / Residence

2023 Malmö Gallerihelg (se) Artist talk

2023 Nordic Art Agency (se) Artist in Residence

2023 Malmö Folkhögskola (se) Artist talk

2022 Nordic Art Agency podcast (se)

2018 Artist talk London Festival of Architecture (uk)

2017 Artist talk Chelsea College of Art (uk)