Plural Identities

Questions of identity are omnipresent in the art and culture of our time—not only in the visual arts, but also in music, literature, theater, and social discourse, which all deal with aspects of the search for identity, attributions, dividing lines, and connecting forces. From a wide variety of perspectives, the themes of rupture and upheaval are explored, as are discrepancies between self-perception and external perception, overlaps between home, origin, roots, and influences, as well as inner conflicts arising from a clash between contradictory fragments of one's own identity. Sven Holm adds a refreshing voice to the debate, highlighting the enrichment that comes from consciously and freely playing with one's own identity. His paintings seek to express the plasticity of individual identity, which we reshape depending on context, stage of life, and adopted roles, enabling us to live several lives in one.

His paintings with oil on canvas focus on the characters, with the composition following the principles of classic portraits with neutral or highly stylized backgrounds. This places even more emphasis on the personalities, which express a narrative of multiple identities in a wide variety of ways. Some people are endowed with so many identity markers pointing in different directions that even with the worst intentions, it is impossible to assign them a role, while others are composed of fragments or appear multiple times in a single picture. Holm often paints in series, in which he conjugates different representations and perspectives. His works always convey a clear message, yet leave plenty of room for interpretation. The Hamburg-based artist only began to systematically engage with oil painting a few years ago. Impressed by early Impressionist depictions, he initially devoted himself to landscape painting, but then, following his intense interest in personalities, increasingly turned to portraiture, always searching for new forms of expression as a universal language for the narratives that guide his compositions.

More about the artist: Sven Holm's artist page