Camilla Pyk

Camilla Forssell Pyk is a London based Swedish artist and painter, and the fifth generation in an artistic family. Her paintings tell stories of identities and roles, where recurring allegorical nature beings personify human characters and life situations. Her images have an almost linguistic readability.

“We, human beings, have ideas about our identity as individuals, and as part of groups and nations. The ideas need not be realistic or shared by others, yet they are crucial as they affect our relations and determine our solidarity. Identities, that give us advantages, we maintain. They become strong and hard to let go. They become attributes when describing ourselves,” Camilla explains.

Camilla is known for her large oil paintings, where subjects are often quickly and playfully drawn, as well as her mixed media work in smaller format.

“Society is changing. It expands, it becomes increasingly complex and identities are questioned and challenged. It becomes increasingly important what we really do. What limits us? How an individual, a group, or a nation in fact act indicates which roles and identities we are prepared to take,” says Camilla.

Camilla was born in 1966 in Lidingö, suburb of Stockholm. She is married to Malte Forssell, a film producer, and they have two children together, Sofus and Manon. They live together in London as of a few years back.

Camilla has, in addition to a two year basic art education, mainly been trained by artists who have followed her both as teachers and colleagues. This education commenced at a young age and has continued over the years.

“My motive, when painting, is the existential drama, as it takes place in all of us. My focus is to learn about this drama and to make it seen. During 2016 my plan is to make a touring exhibition, directed by The Bergman Gallery, using this drama as a unifying theme with variations on an individual level,” explains Camilla.