ALEXANDER BÄCKMAN

Born 1993

"I draw diligently with ink on paper, creating a drawing every day based on a simple rule: Fill the entire page. These drawings are often messy, and are characterised by an expressive freedom in which anything goes. The process requires both speed and consistency. In this space, I go beyond my customary imagery – what my hand intuitively wants to create – while also embracing intuition. These competing ‘wills’ meet, collide and co-exist on the paper.

My drawings explore dreams, geometric forms and the dynamics of human interactions, often with a focus on bodily fatigue. I am fascinated by ‘the gaze’, whether expressed through open or closed eyes. Recurring motifs – skulls, rugs, books, animals and flowers – anchor my work in a symbolic language that balances on the edge of the banal, an area that I find liberating due to its creative potential. I am drawn to small movements or fleeting moments, and I investigate and reinforce their significance."

Bachelor’s degree in art, 2022, Konstfack, Stockholm

Portrait, photo Jesper Thour

ALEXANDER BÄCKMAN

Alexander Bäckman participates in the scholarship competition and exhibition with five drawings created 2024–2025.

Ink on paper. Oil on canvas. Oil on wooden board.

1. Daily Drawings
2. The Gaze Away
3. Butterfly Memory
4. Performance
5. Stone Slabs

Click on the artworks in the slideshow to see full images, or scroll down. It can take a little while for the images to upload. Enlarge the drawings by choosing zoom or full page via the tool box by each image.

THE SELECTION COMMITTEE'S MOTIVATION:
In Alexander Bäckman’s drawings, heads and faces are packed together. Using ink, pens and brushes, he brings gazes to life for us to feel and wonder about.

Daily Drawings
Ink on A4-paper, 2024.
The Gaze Away
Oil on wooden board, 2024. Original size 70x75 cm
Butterfly Memory
Oil on canvas, 2024. Original size 82x65 cm
Performance
Oil on wooden board, 2025. Original size 123x65 cm
Stone Slabs
Oil on wooden board, 2024. Original size 63x50 cm