"If they can invite the viewer into a sense of contemplation or pause, I’m happy." Meet the Artist: Elin Odentia

Elin Odentia grew up in Ödsmal, in the countryside of Bohuslän a Swedish province in Götaland, surrounded by nature, beautiful forests, and a huge lake, a far cry from contemporary art, galleries and museums.

Elin laughingly tells me, "There was a church, a school, and a little sweetshop, that was pretty much it." As you can imagine having the aspiration of becoming an artist was not common, "I would never guess that at 30 years old I would be living in Stockholm and having the luxury of spending my days painting," she quickly replies.

Elin knew early on that she wanted to be an artist, "I was six, of course I didn’t understand what that meant at the time, but it has been my goal ever since." When faced with difficulties Elin would escape by painting, writing, and drawing.

By doing this the artist was able to create a completely safe and calm space. Stillness and calm are still very important to Elin. "In the act of painting but also in the paintings themselves. If they can invite the viewer into a sense of contemplation or pause, I’m happy", she tells me. "Luckily, in the little place where we lived there was this artist having art classes for kids. I started going there and loved it. We did all kinds of random performances, had 24-hour-painting-sessions. It taught me that art could be so broad and so much fun.’"

After high school Elin I studied Art History and Visual Culture at Gothenburg University. Later she completed all seven of her art school years in a row. Two at Dômen, a bachelor’s degree at Konstfack University of Arts, Craft and Design, and a master’s degree at the Royal Institute of Art. Elin is adamant that being part of a university environment, having the opportunity to talk about art, "with all the brilliant professors and students has been a luxury," She explains, "Growing up with very little culture around; the habit of seeing art or plays, made me appreciate and value that context even more. I worked hard and I got so much out of it."

Her family is incredibly supportive of her career as an artist, and her chosen field of painting. "My mom was the first person in her family to study on a higher level and I think that made it easier for me to even see that as a possibility. She’s been such a role model. When I was little, she studied full time and worked full time at a hospital and has always been happy and proud of her education."

Her love of seeking knowledge permeates her fascination with the art form of painting. "For hundreds of years we’ve been putting pigments on flat surfaces to create illusions of space, tension, atmospheres or simply combinations of colour. It’s so banal, yet so overwhelming and strong. I like how painting is its own place, a world one can escape into, but also a body. An object and a window. I’m seduced by that duality." Elin finds inspiration by finding beauty in things others might not neven otice. When inspecting a flower, she is mesmerised by its’ shape. Colour is another aspect Elin is obsessed with, spending hours looking at shading of colours in everything from art to everyday household items.

The artist has been working for the past three months on a large painting encompassing four canvases. This work came as a happy departure after her well received last solo exhibition at Cecilia Hillström Gallery in Stockholm, in late 2020.

Elin has also recently released a limited-edition print in collaboration with SAK, the Swedish Association for Art, and Ed., that can be purchased online. Finally, Elin is excited for autumn and the new year: she and her husband have just had their first child. Elin shares, "This autumn feels like a big black hole of unknown life dependent on who that person is, simultaneously super exciting and a little scary."