Johan Nobell
Johan Nobell (b. 1963, Gammelgarn, Gotland) is a Swedish painter known for his psychologically charged landscapes that merge surreal and mechanical elements into desolate, symbolic terrains. Educated at the Valand Academy of Fine Arts in Gothenburg, Nobell established his position in the 1990s as part of a generation that revitalized Nordic painting through the interplay between figuration, abstraction, and narrative.
In 2002, Johan Nobell held a solo exhibition at Stalke Galleri, presenting a series of oil paintings that explored the landscape as a metaphor for psychological and cultural conditions. Behind the apparent calm of his imagery lies a complex tension — burned forests, fragments of vegetation, and mechanical remnants coexist in scenes that evoke both conflict and regeneration. The works unfold as layered reflections on time, memory, and the persistence of painting as a medium.
Nobell’s exhibition coincided with Eske Kath’s presentation in the Project Room, highlighting Stalke Galleri’s engagement with experimental Nordic painting at the time. During the early 2000s, Stalke also represented Nobell internationally, including presentations at Art Cologne, where his work gained broader attention within the European art scene.
Johan Nobell lives and works in Stockholm, and his works are represented in major public and institutional collections in Sweden and abroad.
Exhibition view from Johan Nobell’s solo show at Stalke Galleri, 2002. The installation featured psychologically charged landscapes and surreal compositions exploring tension between conflict and regeneration.