Born in 1970
Lives and works in Stockholm, Sweden
At the heart of Sigrid Sandström’s work lies the inquiry into the ethos of painting as an image, particularly through her exploration of abstract landscapes. Drawing inspiration from disciplines spanning geography, sociology, and philosophy, she meticulously articulates sensations and reveries. Elemental features such as circular disc shapes, poured paint, and stains serve as shapeshifting strategies, allowing associations to shift from pure painterly abstraction to more precise pictorial imagery, such as mountains, water, earth, sunlight, and shades. This transient viewing experience aims to further examine the notions of "where," "when," and "how" a painting develops into a visual encounter and perceived site.
Sandström’s compositions traverse the dual realms of site—both as a conceptual framework and an experiential construct, establishing a dynamic interplay among artist, artwork, and viewer. Progressing towards heightened abstraction, her expansive depictions of desolate landscapes persistently challenge the ontological parameters of painting as a medium. This inherent ambiguity assumes a pivotal role in both the genesis of her art and its interaction with the audience.
Sigrid Sandström (b. 1970) earned an MFA in Painting from Yale University, New Haven, CT (2001); attended Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Skowhegan, ME (2000); received a BFA at Academie Minerva, Groningen, The Netherlands (1997); and studied at Cooper Union School of Art, New York, NY (1995). Residencies, grants, and fellowships include the Brown Foundation Fellows Program at the Dora Maar House, Ménerbes, France (2018), The Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts residency scholarship at Grez-sur-Loing, France (2014), The 2008 Painters and Sculptors Grant from the Joan Mitchell Foundation and the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship, New York (2008). Sandström was also a Core Fellow at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX (2001-2003). She is currently a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts, University of the Arts, Helsinki, and has previously held positions as a professor at the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm (2010-2020) and an Assistant Professor at Bard College, New York (2005-2010).
Sandström’s work is included in the public collections of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Houston, TX; Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden; Borås Konstmuseum, Borås, Sweden; Malmö konstmuseum, Malmö, Sweden; The Public Art Agency, Stockholm, Sweden; Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita, KS; Västerås konstmuseum, Västerås, Sweden; and the Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT. Sandström currently resides in Stockholm, Sweden.
education
2001 MFA, Yale University School of Art, New Haven, CT
2000 Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Skowhegan, ME
1997 BFA, Academie Minerva, Groningen, The Netherlands
1995 The Cooper Union School of Art, New York, NY
solo shows
2026
Perrotin, London, United Kingdom (forthcoming)
2025
Anat Ebgi Gallery, New York
De blå timmarna (The Blue Hours), Cecilia Hillström Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden
Dusk, Perrotin, Tokyo, Japan
2024
Afterimages, Perrotin, Shanghai, China
2023
Janus, Anat Ebgi, Los Angeles, CA
2022
Under tiden, Vandalorum Museum för Konst och Design, Värnamo, 3 Dec 2022 – 10 April 2023
Recent Paintings, Inman Gallery, Houston, TX
Radical Distance, Cecilia Hillström Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden
2021
Figure Ground, Anat Ebgi, Los Angeles, CA
2020
Sigrid Sandström, solo presentation at CHART-DE-CENTERED Art Fair, Stockholm, Sweden
Sounds from the Earth, Inman Gallery, Houston, TX
2019
Dry Maars, Cecilia Hillström Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden
2018
Föreställningar, Västerås konstmuseum, Västerås, Sweden
Dessa platser-skala 1:1, Galleri Gunnar Olsson, Stockholm, Sweden
2017
Händelser och tillhåll, Kulturens Hus, Luleå, Sweden
Sigrid Sandström, Galleri Gunnar Olsson, Stockholm, Sweden
2016
Moon Days, Inman Gallery, Houston, TX
Other Places, Anat Ebgi, Los Angeles, CA
2015
Between Us, Cecilia Hillström Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden
Between Us, Galleri Gunnar Olsson, Stockholm, Sweden
X, Galleri Thomas Wallner, Simris, Sweden
2014
X, Galleri Gunnar Olsson, Stockholm, Sweden
2013
Sigrid Sandström, Inman Gallery, one-person presentation at ADAA Armory Show, New York, NY
Viewfinders, Inman Gallery, Houston, TX
2012
Leap of Sight, Galleri Gunnar Olsson, Stockholm, Sweden
2011
Hide-outs, The Company, Los Angeles, CA
2010
Video Screenings, Inman Gallery, Houston, TX
Sigrid Sandström, Kajsa & Olle Nyman Cultural Foundation in Saltsjö-Duvnäs, Sweden
2009
Cut-out, Galleri Olsson, Stockholm, Sweden
Sigrid Sandström, The Company, Los Angeles, CA
2008
Mock-Ups, Galleri Thomas Wallner, Malmö, Sweden
New Paintings, Inman Gallery, Houston, TX
2007
Recent Paintings, Edward Thorp Gallery, New York, NY
Märkt, Galleri Gunnar Olsson, Stockholm, Sweden
2006
Ginnungagap: Recent Works by Sigrid Sandstrom, Frye Museum, Seattle, WA
Action, Inman Gallery, Houston TX
2005
Her Black Flags: Video projections by Sigrid Sandström, Mills College Art Museum, Oakland, CA
2004
Ginnungagap, Inman Gallery, Houston, TX
Hrönir, Galleri Gunnar Olsson, Stockholm, Sweden
Sighting, Brant Gallery, MA College of Art, Boston, MA
2003
Tillflykter, Galleri Gunnar Olsson, Stockholm, Sweden
2002
I Know Where I'm Going, Inman Gallery, Houston,TX
group shows
2023
Expedition konst, Kulturens hus, Luleå, Sweden
Women in Abstraction, curated by Lawrence Van Hagen, Pedder Building, Hong Kong
2022
10th anniversary exhibition, Cecilia Hillström Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden
If you forget my name, You will go astray, Anat Ebgi, Los Angeles, CA
Intersect Aspen, Anat Ebgi, Aspen, CO
2021-2022
Expedition konst, Prins Eugens Waldemarsudde, Stockholm, Sweden
2021
Dallas Art Fair, curated selection by Anat Ebgi, Dallas, TX
The Armory Show, curated selection by Anat Ebgi, New York, NY
2020
Good Company:PT 1, Anat Ebgi, Los Angeles, CA
The Trees, light green: Landscape Painting - Past and Present / Träden står ljust gröna: Landskapsmåleri då och nu, Bonniers konsthall, Stockholm, Sweden
Polyfoni V, Galleri Thomas Wallner, Simris, Sweden
2019
Dialog, curated by Tommy Andersson & Jerry Williams, Konsthallen Trollhättan, Trollhättan, Sweden
Vad gör krusningen?, two-person exhibition with Jenny Kalliokuljo and Sigrid Sandström, Galleri Thomas Wallner, Simris, Sweden
Event Horizon, exhibition with Marie Søndergaard Lolk, Sigrid Sandström & Hulda Stéfansdóttir, BERG Contemporary, Reykjvaik, Iceland
Dialog, curated by Tommy Andersson & Jerry Williams, Not Quite, Fengerfors, Sweden
Dallas Art Fair, Inman Gallery, Dallas, TX
2018
Night Walk, Inman Gallery, Houston, TX
My Vicious Throbbing Heart: Animating Desire in Abstract Painting, curated by Risa Puleo, Franklin Street Works, Stamford, CT
Möten, Galleri Gunnar Olsson, Stockholm, Sweden
2017
I Won't Let You Say Goodbye This Time, Inman Gallery, Houston, TX
Molnet –The Cloud of Unknowing, curated by Elisabet Yanagisawa, Värmlands Museum, Karlstad, Sweden
Polyfoni 4, Galleri Thomas Wallner, Simris, Sweden
2016
Suzhou Documents, curated by Zhang Qing and Roger M. Buergel, Suzhou Art Museum, Suzhou, China
Leonard Forslund, Sigrid Sandström och Julia Selin, Galleri Thomas Wallner and High Court, Malmö, Sweden
In Color, curated by Marina Ancona from the archive of 10 Grand Press, 333 Montezuma Arts, Santa Fe, NM
2015
Katrina Moorhead-Dimetrius Oliver-Sigrid Sandström, Inman gallery at Untitled, Miami Beach, FL
SUNSET HAIRCUT: A Group Exhibition, Inman Gallery, Houston, TX
Polyfoni 3, Galleri Thomas Wallner, Simris, Sweden
2014
Thinking Through Painting, Part 1 & 2, The Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Stockholm, Sweden
BLACK MARKET HELSINKI, Gallery Sinne, Helsinki, Finland
tasse wieder komma noch fisch, Kunsthalle m3, Berlin, Germany
New Dimensions, Galleri Andersson/Sandström, Umeå, Sweden
Duckrabbit, organized by Jason Losh, Anat Ebgi Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Polyfoni 2, Galleri Thomas Wallner, Simris, Sweden
ART LOS ANGELES CONTEMPORARY, Anat Ebgi, Santa Monica, CA
2013
UT PICTURA POESIS, Galleri Gunnar Olsson, Stockholm, Sweden
Reckless project #2: Chinese Whisper, curated by Andrea Baccin, Luca Francesconi, Ilaria Gianni, Ilaria Marotta, Costanza Paissan, Cura.basement, Rome, Italy
Secret Show (a real allegory of a seven-year phase of my artistic (and moral) life) curated by Hinrich Sachs, De Geersgatan 10, Stockholm, Sweden
Polyfoni, Galleri Thomas Wallner, Simris, Sweden
2012
Miami Project Contemporary + Modern, Inman Gallery, Miami, FL
Texas Contemporary Art Fair, Inman Gallery, Houston, TX
Sommar, Galleri Thomas Wallner, Simrishamn, Sweden
Art Brussels, Inman Gallery, Brussels, Belgium
Market, Galleri Gunnar Olsson, Stockholm, Sweden
2011
Sommar 2011, Galleri Thomas Wallner, Simris, Sweden
Från Eddie Figge f. 1906 till Linnea Rygaard f. 1990, Galleri Gunnar Olsson, Stockholm, Sweden
2010
NADA Art Fair, The Company, Miami Beach, FL
Vivid, Schroeder Romero & Shredder, New York, NY
Shadow Effect, The Company, Los Angeles, CA
Art Copenhagen, Galleri Gunnar Olsson, Copenhagen, Denmark
Pristagare och receptionsstycken 2010, Kungliga Akademien för de fria konsterna, Stockholm, Sweden
Bo Siesjös samling av svensk samtidskonst, Ystad Konstmuseum, Ystad, Sweden
2009
Caspar David Friedrich – Nature Animated and Friedrich, Eight Contemporary Commentaries, curated by Bo Nilsson, Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, Sweden
Carnegie Art Award 2010 Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Copenhagen traveling to Listasafn Islands, Islands Nationalgalleri, Reykjavik, Konstakademien, Stockholm, Sweden Kunstnernes Hus, Oslo, Norway, Royal College of Art, London, UK, Helsingfors Konsthall, Helsinki, Finland, CIAC, Centre International d’Art Contemporain, Carros/Nice, France (catalogue)
The First Malibu Annual Contemporary Art Fair, The Company, Malibu, CA
Samtidigt - Svenskt måleri på 2000-talet, Borås Konstmuseum; traveling to Passagen, Linköpings Konsthall, Sweden
Market, Galleri Gunnar Olsson, Stockholm, Sweden
Gallery Artists, Edward Thorp Gallery, New York, NY
2008
Cent, Galerie Defrost, Paris, France
Gallery Artists New Works, Edward Thorp Gallery, New York, NY
Learning by Doing: 25 Years of the Core Program at the MFAH, Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Houston, TX
Probably, Inman Gallery, Houston, TX
2007
From the collections, Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden
Sylvia Rivera Law Project Art Benefit, Sara Meltzer Gallery, New York, NY
Gallery Artists, Edward Thorp Gallery, New York, NY
Saturn Falling, curated by Gavin Morrison, The Corridor Gallery, Reykjavik, Iceland
Frisbee LA, curated by Anat Ebgi and Jen de Nike, Los Angeles, CA
Land Force, Sabina Lee Gallery, curated by John Moore, Los Angeles, CA
Market, Galleri Gunnar Olsson, Stockholm, Sweden
2006
Cotton Candy on a Rainy Day, curated by Shinique Smith, The Proposition, New York, NY
Everywhichway, Edward Thorp Gallery, New York, NY
Frisbee, curated by Anat Ebgi and Jen de Nike, Miami, FL
Aqua, Inman Gallery, Miami, FL
Pulse, Inman Gallery, New York, NY
Market, Galleri Gunnar Olsson, Stockholm, Sweden
2005
Frisbee, curated by Anat Ebgi and Jen de Nike, Miami, FL
Aqua, Inman Gallery, Miami, FL
If you're feeling sinister, Alona Kagan Gallery, New York, NY
You Are Here, Ballroom Marfa, TX
Something is Somewhere, Monya Rowe Gallery, New York, NY
Cecilia Elde, Ulrika Lundberg, Martina Muntzig och Sigrid Sandström, Kabusa Konsthall, Sweden
The Edge of Darkness, LeRoy Neiman Gallery, Columbia University, NewYork, NY
Sollentuna Konstmässa 2005, Galleri Olsson, Stockholm, Sweden
Outpost, Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, MA
2004
Voodoo Shit, Hales Gallery, London, United Kingdom
Perspective@25, Contemporary Art Museum, Houston, TX
AFFAIR @ The Jupiter Hotel, Portland, OR
Summer Group Show II: Landscapes, Nahcotta Inc. Portsmouth, NH
Svenska konstärer i världen, Millesgården, Stockholm, Sweden
Rocks, scissors, paper, Williams Tower Gallery, Houston, TX
Why not live for art, Tokyo Opera City Gallery, Tokyo Selections 04, Stephen D. Paine Gallery, Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, MA
Selections 04, Stephen D. Paine Gallery, Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, MA
2003
ARTissima Art Fair, Turin, Italy
Miniatures, Hook-Epstein Gallery, Houston, TX
Rendered, Sara Meltzer Gallery, New York, NY
Paper Works, Julia Friedman Gallery, Chicago, IL
Sigrid Sandström & Jiha Moon, M3 Kunsthalle, Berlin, Germany
It's not the end of the world, Sigrid Sandström and Karyn Olivier, The Nave Museum, Victoria, TX
Core Artists in Residence, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX
function:assimilate, Tyler Gallery, Tyler School of Art, Philadelphia, PA
2002
New York, New Work, Now!, The Currier Museum of Art, Manchester, NH
Core Samples, Galveston Arts Center, Galveston, TX
Pertaining to Painting, The Contemporary Art Museum, Houston, TX; traveled to Austin Museum of Art, Austin, TX
New American Talent/17, The Jones Center for Contemporary Art, The Texas Fine Arts Association, Austin, TX; traveled to J.Wayne Stark Galleries, Texas A&M University, Commerce, TX
Wall Power, Dallas Center for Contemporary Art, Dallas, TX
Core Artists in Residence, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX
public collections
Malmö Konstmuseum, Sweden
Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden
Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Houston, TX
Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita, KS
Borås Konstmuseum, Borås, Sweden
Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT
awards
2023 Stiftung Kunstdepot, Göschenen, Switzerland
2018 Dora Maar House Fellowship, Ménerbes, France
2018 Artistic Research Grant (KFoU), with Jenny Kalliokulju, The Royal Institute of Art, Stockholm, Sweden
2016 Stiftelsen Längmanska Kulturfonden, Stockholm, Sweden
2014 The Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts, residency scholarship at Grez-sur-Loing, France
2013 Helge Ax:son Johnsons stiftelse, Stockholm, Sweden
2012 Stiftelsen Framtiden (Thinking Through Painting with Kristina Bength, Jonatan Habib Engqvist och Jan Rydén), Stockholm, Sweden
2011 Artistic Development Work Grant (KU), The Royal Institute of Art, Stockholm, Sweden
2010 Vera och Göran Agnekils stipendium, The Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Stockholm, Sweden
2008 The Joan Mitchell Foundation: 2008 Painters & Sculptors Grant, New York, NY
2008 John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship, New York, NY
2004 Barbro Osher Foundation, San Francisco, CA
2003 Artadia Award, The Fund for Art and Dialogue, New York, NY
2003 Stiftelsen Längmanska Kulturfonden, Stockholm, Sweden
2003 Eliza Randall Prize
2001-03 The Core Fellowship, Glassell School of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX
2001 Awarded Fine Art Work Center Provincetown Residency, Provincetown, MA
2001 Alice Kimball English Traveling Fellowship,Yale University, New Haven, CT
2000 Anna Whitlocks Minnesfond, Stockholm, Sweden
1997 American Society's Culture Award, New York, NY
