The grace in details, the thorough accuracy and the rhythm of the density of lines characterize Ebba Palmstierna’s drawing. In a dreamlike universe, men and women are no more. Nature is inhabited with extravagant chimeras and creatures in which human nature has left no trace – as if dreamed by Dorian Gray.

The rigorous and graphic streaks work as a magnifying glass bringing the imaginary in motion. The contrast between the modernity of the style and the evocation of these ancestral creatures create a dramaturgy, a tangible tension. Solitude, flight, a sideway glance. These figures are in a state of alert, on the lookout, in suspense. Not entirely good, but not evil either, with so many nuances of character.

Inspired by her travels and moments of life in Indonesia, the United States and France, Ebba Palmstierna remains connected with her Swedish culture, Sweden is rich in a literary tradition combining stories with drawn creation. A multitude of examples witness of this tradition where the drawer ends up concluding the creation of the work of a writer –Tove Jansson, Astrid Lindgren, John Bauer are part of this fertile scenery. Mizuki Shigeru and Hans Arnold add to this as sources of inspiration.

The drawing of Ebba Palmstierna succeeds in creating a magic place beyond time that is decidedly contemporary.

Text by Michaela Meschke, Choreographer