En dag på Kummelholmen i Skärholmen #3 David von Bahr & Anthony Linell

David von Bahr’s artistic practice is deeply rooted in directness, instinct, and physical engagement with the canvas. By forgoing drafts or preliminary sketches, he embraces a raw, improvisational approach that allows his work to take shape organically. This immediacy reflects a philosophy that values spontaneity while maintaining an underlying structure, enabled by self-imposed guidelines that balance freedom with intentionality.
A key aspect of von Bahr’s method is the interplay between abstract forms, color blocks, and dynamic brushstrokes. These elements are not placed arbitrarily but are instead arranged within an intuitive framework shaped by the artist’s pursuit of efficiency and satisfaction. His process, described as a dance, is as much about movement as it is about composition. The scale of his canvases—deliberately human-sized—further amplifies this sense of physicality, turning the act of painting into a fully immersive experience. This physical engagement extends beyond creation to how the artwork interacts with the observer, making the paintings active participants in their own reception.
Beyond the gestural intensity of his technique, von Bahr’s choice of mediums and motifs reinforces the theme of movement. The application of sprayed and dragged paint captures the kinetic energy of its making, preserving the traces of force and motion in the final composition. These expressive bursts are then refined and reorganized, resulting in layered imagery that balances spontaneity with cohesion.
One of von Bahr’s large-scale works, measuring 3×4 meters, which is now being created specifically for *En dag på Kummelholmen #3*. exemplifies his energetic and immersive approach. Black spray paint dominates the canvas, applied in sweeping gestures that convey urgency and force. The surface is alive with motion, marked by dynamic streaks, scattered splatters, and dragged pigments that echo the physicality of its creation. The interplay between controlled chaos and deliberate composition allows the painting to pulse with raw energy while maintaining an intuitive structure. The sheer scale of the work invites the viewer to step closer, becoming enveloped in the swirling forms and frenetic movements. As with all of von Bahr’s paintings, this piece stands as both a record of action and an active participant in the dialogue between artist, artwork, and observer.
Von Bahr’s practice resonates with modernist traditions, particularly action painting and abstract expressionism. However, his work does not simply echo these historical influences but instead builds upon them, integrating contemporary sensibilities that emphasize the experiential nature of art. His approach reflects a reverence for the creative process, where each piece is both a record of its making and a conduit for dialogue between artist, artwork, and viewer. By embracing both the physical and conceptual aspects of painting, von Bahr establishes a style that is both deeply personal and universally engaging.
David von Bahr is now also featured at SBG in Stockholm. (https://steinslandberliner.com/)

Anthony Linell

The cohesive array of depth charged devices that Anthony Linell has produced is formidable. From his opening statements as Abdulla Rashim on his early label of the same name, right through to his recent work that puts his aliases aside, there is a robust and rigorous intent that compounds the elemental strategies of techno’s models to apprehend his singular vision.
Presiding over Stockholm’s Northern Electronics label with Varg (Jonas Rönnberg), Linell dispenses with mechanisms of attention on all fronts. Marked by an indefatigable self-reliance, the label presents exactly what it means to display, and no more. Carving an idiosyncratic platform for his music is as great of a warning as there could be that Linell’s leveraging little toward the benefit of the audience. By his measure, the familiarity and comfort of contemporary techno is stripped back to its rushing heart, the senses left tailgating the strobe in a fit of intuition over decision. The greater this is exposed the colder it gets, and its in these extremes that Linell’s caustic rhythmic precision hits. Live, it comes off as a galvanizing strike from the outside; analysing the room as a DJ, it’s a case of being pursued through the dark.
Just as the brevity of Linell’s output in the eyes of techno is exalted as it is brought into focus, the background to this blurs as you start to decipher his other projects. Lundin Oil skirts the fringes of noise and experimental music, and in collaboration with Varg as Ulwhedar, this is perhaps even more pronounced.
Purposively ricocheting between the techno world and experimental electronic music, Linell forges a distinct passage that gathers the aesthetically uncompromising motifs and missions from across this spectrum. It’s this combination and resolve that’s brought Linell to the world’s attention, however little that attention has been solicited.