Jo Öqvist

b. 1977, Uppsala, Sweden

Untitled, 2023
Three charcoal wall drawings

Untitled, 2023
Sculptures made from reused materials: wood, foam rubber, pillows, quilts, fabric

Jo Öqvist’s art concerns the body: the human body and the non-human body. The queer, non-binary, fat body. They depict bodies in relation to each other in an ongoing process, in motion. This involves proximity and distance, and bodily experiences.

The works speak of limitation and ability, of agency and power. They have a directness of expression that features clear traces of making. The drawings are created in relation to the artist’s own body. In order to transcend the limited reach, the artist used a ladder when producing the largest drawing. The sculptures are created from second-hand materials that carry a story. A blanket from a flea market becomes a figure, a presence of someone. A body to relate to our own.

See the interview with Jo Öqvist.