Topography of social relationships

Andrea Wallgren Nehm's paintings explore the nature of human relationships, whether private, social, or political. The essence of human beings is based on their connections to others, on social structures and personal bonds, which are, however, subject to constant change, in a state of flux, continuously being newly established and then dissolved again, and which, at any given moment, are rarely clearly definable, but rather diffuse, multi-layered, ambivalent, and contradictory. Wallgren Nehm expresses this complexity in her figures, which are deliberately left vague, sometimes only sketchily hinted at, yet full of expression, movement, and energy. In particular, however, all the figures are interconnected — in conscious turning toward or away from each other, in physical contact or strictly separated. The compositions make clear: there is no non-relationship between people; closeness and connectedness determine our social fabric just as much as disregard, strangeness, and ignorance.

Born in Santiago, Chile, Wallgren Nehm now lives and works as a freelance artist in Berlin. After studying graphic design at the Escuela del Pacífico in Santiago, she moved to Bonn and graduated from the Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences. This was followed by studios in Heidelberg and Cottbus, further studies at the Free Art Academy in Mannheim, and a residency in Knidos in southwestern Turkey. Many stops along the way to Berlin, many influences that shape her work today. Her paintings are multi-layered not only in their expression but also in their creation, developing from the superimposition of different materials such as oil paint, chalk, stain, and colored pencils. This mix underscores the lively character of the compositions, in which an indefinable number of people unfold a vibrant web of relationships that can be deciphered, interpreted, and read in ever-new ways.

More about the artist: Andrea Wallgren Nehm's artist page