Håkan Wennström draws horses. He also draws and paints graveyards, elks, ambulances, police cars and walking dogs. During a time of serious illness Håkan Wennström has to spend time in the hospital and he soon makes his hospital room into a studio. From a bed on the sixth floor of the hospital Karolinska sjukhuset Håkan continues to observe life as it happens outside his window and puts it down on paper. He makes pencil drawings and watercoulours. And a book. In the book “Thomstone Blues” Håkan draws the conditions of illness with the same light hand as with the brush he uses in the watercolours on the same phenomena. In Håkan’s texts life flows forth with all its trivialities, memories and life’s amazing fragility. Those of us that have gone through a major life crisis can only feel a sense of awe towards the fact that Håkan is able to document what is actually happening to him as it is taking place. And, to document a crisis with frankness, simplicity and warmth is of course even more difficult. This is the triumph of Håkan Wennström, both in words and imagery. 

In Södertälje konsthall’s smaller exhibition room Portal we are exhibiting pencil drawings and watercoulours by Håkan Wennström, and the animated film “When We Die”. 

Text by: Joanna Sandell, director, Södertälje konsthall