Artists

Julia Bondesson

Press release

Stay: Julia Bondesson 8 May - 4 June 2026 "The material reminds me a lot of the light expression of drawing, which feels vibrant with the solid wooden shapes. The strength of the wood meets the fragility of the glass." How does one describe the sensation that Julia Bondesson's universe evokes? A prelude? A threshold where the morbid meets the sublime? Could one perhaps detect the same sense of multi-layered ambiguity as the puppet theatre in The Double Life of Véronique by Krzysztof Kieślowski or Louise Bourgeois's later sculptural works in textile (like High Heel, for instance)? In her practice, Bondesson has combined her fascination with puppet theatre and her infatuation with wood. For the upcoming exhibition Stay at Belenius Gallery, Bondesson's expression has become noticeably more abstract – allowing the more haunting qualities of her earlier work to recede somewhat, though not without leaving a trace of their quiet allure. "For this show, I've worked exclusively with the electric saw and focused on developing that technique. It results in a more stripped-down expression, which I think suits this exhibition." Stay is about being still, but also about the fact that it takes effort to be or remain in one place – that Stay becomes an active passivity. Several of the works are in a meditative phase, yet still in motion. Julia Bondesson (b. 1983) in Kinnared, Sweden. Lives and works in Åled, Sweden. Bodies and body parts are the backbone of Bondesson's works. Her material is predominantly wood, and the meticulously carved and chiselled sculptures, with occasional scorch marks, have an exposed and vulnerable quality. She often combines the traditional qualities of wood sculptures with paint, stain, neon light, rope and textile elements. Trained in sculpture and puppet making in both Sweden and Asia, her work combines tradition with a very personal and contemporary language. Bondesson graduated from the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm in 2011.