Jockum Nordström

Swedish artist Jockum Nordström creates collages, watercolors, graphite drawings, and architectural sculptures that are delicately crafted and elegantly executed.

Biography of Jockum Nordström

Jockum Nordström was born in 1963, in Stockholm, Sweden. He graduated from Konstfack, University College of Art, Crafts and Design in 1988, where his father, Gert Z Nordström, was a professor of art education.

He gained national recognition through a series of children's books. He also worked as an illustrator for the Stockholm newspaper Dagens Nyheter from 1997 to 1999. Additionally, Nordström has contributed his artistic talents to designing record sleeves for the rock band Caesars.

In 2000, the artist began exhibiting with David Zwirner, where he held his inaugural solo show in the United States. In 2014, "For the Insects and the Hounds" debuted as Nordström's first solo exhibition at David Zwirner in London, showcasing new works on paper and sculptures.

The artist has received numerous prestigious awards and honors throughout his career, including:

• the Carl Larsson Stipendiet, The Royal Academy of Arts, Stockholm, Sweden (1995);
• the Stora Svenska Illustratörspriset, Stockholm, Sweden (1998);
• the Becker Artist Prize, Stockholm, Sweden (1999);
• the Watercolour Award, Konstakademien, Stockholm, Sweden (2000);
• the Foundation Daniel & Florence Guerlain Contemporary Drawing Prize (2015).

These accolades highlight Nordström's significant contributions and recognition within the art and literary communities in Sweden and beyond.

His notable solo exhibitions include "No paper, no coins" at Liljevalchs in Stockholm (2023), "De osynligas väg / The Path of the Invisibles" at Galleri Magnus Karlsson in Stockholm (2021), "Pour ne pas dormir" at La Criée centre d'art contemporain in Rennes (2021), "Jockum Nordström – Without Lantern" at Skissernas Museum in Lund (2020), and many more.

Additionally, Nordström's wprks have been featured in numerous group shows held at various galleries and museums worldwide, including 3331 Arts Chiyoda in Tokyo, Zeno X Gallery in Antwerp, Galleri Bo Bjerggaard in Copenhagen, Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, Studio Fotokino in Marseille, Heskin Contemporary in New York, among others.

Currently, the artist lives and works in Stockholm, Sweden.

Jockum Nordström's Art Style

Nordström is celebrated for his collages, paintings, drawings, and sculptures that intertwine references to folk art and outsider art, jazz, surrealist collage, furniture, and architectural design.

His works on paper resemble storyboards, which he aptly describes as "stills," capturing simultaneous action within a frozen frame. These imaginative tableaux depict fantastical environments populated with distinctive figures, animals, architecture, furniture, musical instruments, and other props, each varying in scale and composition.

Nordström's illustrations showcase a creative blend of subjects, pulling characters from diverse eras and employing unconventional horizontal or vertical formats reminiscent of comic books and filmstrips. His approach highlights both innovation in illustration and a unique narrative style.