ABOUT Sonja

Turning everyday observations into colourful minimalist abstracts

“Sonja paints colorful and joyful abstracts by distilling everyday observations into bold fields of colour, shape and texture. Sonja’s art is rooted in a deep love of colour, and she intentionally focuses on the expression of joy, simplicity and aliveness. For the viewer, she wants her work to feel welcoming and joyful, almost like a sigh of relief.”

Sonja Dahlgren (b 1973) is a contemporary abstract colour-field painter based in Gothenburg, Sweden.

THE “WHY”

Sonja’s work is rooted in a deep love of colour, which is what motivates her to paint and experiment in the studio every day. With the use of bold colours and simple shapes, Sonja intentionally focuses on the expression of joy, simplicity and a sense of aliveness. She explores a reductionist approach to both colour and shape, and constantly asks herself: “How can I achieve maximum impact through the minimal use of colour, shape and material?”. Her main themes of exploration is colour relativity and the question “What defines a [an aesthetically pleasing] shape?”. This goes hand in hand with her pursuit of finding a balance between bold expression and minimalist simplicity, between playfulness and sophistication. For the viewer, she wants her work to feel welcoming and joyful, almost like a sigh of relief.

THE creative process

Sonja’s preferred mediums are acrylic paint and collage, but she occasionally also uses gouache, oil pastels, wax pencils, oil and oil sticks. She loves working with paper, especially in collage, and it has become an important part of her practice, as a way to explore colour, shape and composition. Experimentation is an essential part of her process, and she stays open to coincidences and surprises.

Her approach to painting are equal parts deliberate and intuitive. Sonja finds most of her visual references and inspiration in the little things she surrounds herself with, such as; nature, flowers in the garden and in the wild, art history, fashion, interiors and ordinary things that she observes in the world around her. Sonja’s work is informed by the colour field painting movement, and the work of e.g. Ellsworth Kelly, Imi Knoebel, Helen Frankenthaler and last, but not least, Henri Matisse (for his entire vibe and colour approach).

THE Background

Before committing fully to painting, Sonja’s professional journey spanned several creative and human-centred fields. Her education includes a bachelor of early childhood education, a masters degree in psychology and several university courses in photography, visual communication and graphic design. She began her career as an early years teacher (including five years in China, which affected her deeply), later worked as a lifestyle photographer and stylist, and then practised as a couple’s therapist — each phase sharpening her sensitivity to nuance, presence and the richness of lived experience. Over time, her lifelong engagement with creativity and visual expression led her to focus seriously on fine art and develop a studio practice grounded in her love of colour.