"Up, Up and Away"
Signed FW and dated 19. Numbered 8/36. Bronze, green patina, height 39.5 cm.
Provenance
Tom Böttiger Collection, Stockholm.
More information
A larger version of Wretman's sculpture "Up, up and away", is located at the main entrance of Östermalmshallen, Stockholm. The sculpture depicts the legs of Hermes. In Greek mythology (Mercurius in Roman), Hermes was the only one who could speak the language of both humans, the gods, and Hades (the kingdom of the dead). Hermes therefore became the messenger between the worlds and thus also the god of traders and thieves. He is often depicted wearing a winged helmet or with wings on his heels as a reminder of his agility and ability to reach out to many. The hood of the tower on the façade facing Östermalmstorg is already crowned with the helmet of Mercurius. The market hall was built in 1888 and has retained its function ever since. It was designed by the architects Isak Gustaf Clason and Kasper Salin. Placed in the main entrance, Wretman's 3-metre-high sculpture corresponds to the symbols on the corner tower. With powerful concreteness in the figurative language of form, Wretman accurately captures the movement and energy that characterizes gathering places such as market halls and squares.
More about Fredrik Wretman
Wretman, Fredrik b. 1953 in Stockholm. Swedish sculptor and photographer. Educated at Gerleborgsskolan 1972-1975, ABF's art school 1975-1976, Royal Institute of Art 1980-1985, where he has also been a teacher, as well as at Konstfack. He is one of Sweden's most established artists with a multitude of public art commissions behind him. Early on, he utilised the video camera to find new expressions and representations. In the project "Goatrans" at Färgfabriken, he performed himself in 32 orange-coloured editions "as Buddha" alongside water projections from the Pacific Ocean, the Amazon, and the Trondheim Fjord. For more than twenty years, he has worked with water installations, often in large formats where he reshapes the surroundings into infinity. Reflections and mirror images on water surfaces evoke surprising illusions and ambiguities. Fredrik Wretman has a remarkable ability to find new paths within art.
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