| “I am not interested in function and logic. I want to achieve transcendence,” says Fredrik Söderberg. The snow-covered clearing in Narnia is the beginning of a journey into a magical world. Much like the dreams of shamans, drug-induced hallucinatory states, and sexual experiences, Söderberg’s work can be understood as the transgression of boundaries and the exploration of liminal states; they are a survey of modes of transcendence. They represent images that fascinate and absorb him, urging him to believe in otherworldly realms. When Söderberg borrows images, his style is also affected. The colors of his oil paintings are often reduced to black, white, green, and red. | 
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Elisabeth Millqvist is the curator at Magasin 3 Stockholm Konsthall, in Sweden, where Fredrik Söderberg’s work was on view in June with Carl Larsson.
Fredrik Söderberg, The Great Cthulhu, 2008. Watercolor on paper, 56 x 76 cm. Courtesy of Gallery Milliken Stockholm.“I am not interested in function and logic. I want to achieve transcendence,” says Fredrik Söderberg. The snow-covered clearing in Narnia is the beginning of a journey into a magical world. Much like the dreams of shamans, drug-induced hallucinatory states, and sexual experiences, Söderberg’s work can be understood as the transgression of boundaries and the exploration of liminal states; they are a survey of modes of transcendence. They represent images that fascinate and absorb him, urging him to believe in otherworldly realms.
When Söderberg borrows images, his style is also affected. The colors of his oil paintings are often reduced to black, white, green, and red. The contours are clearly delineated, as in graphic novels or cartoon drawings. The muted color scheme of his 2008 watercolors is reminiscent of Carl Larsson and Art Nouveau. Carl Larsson (1853-1919) is perhaps Sweden’s most well-known and beloved artist. He combined traditional rural Swedish designs with modern concepts of color and pattern. He is also notable for a series of watercolors of his home and family that have come to be cherished as beloved representations of Swedish people and culture.
Twentieth century Modernist abstraction challenged the 19th century’s representational style and narrative themes. In Söderberg’s art, we find abstract compositions as independent motifs or in combination with narrative elements. Representational details are removed from their context and framed by geometric shapes. The abstract is both present as a clichéd image of a movement, as well as being inspired by the pioneers of the field: Kasimir Malevich, Emma Kuntz and Hilma of Klint. Their paintings were intended to function as pointers to the spiritual world, or even as messages from higher spheres. Items that seemed completely unconnected were shown to have a common denominator through their visionary aspects. Söderberg shows us that the abstract seen as divine geometry is also a path to transcendence.
