Malmö Konsthall presents the unique artistic practice of Lars Fredrikson

This summer, Malmö Konsthall presents the French-Swedish artist Lars Fredrikson (1926–1997) in his first major presentation in Sweden. The exhibition showcases Fredrikson’s multifaceted body of work, which includes paintings, engravings, collages, kinetic sculptures, sound works, and collaborative projects with contemporary French poets. The exhibition opens on May 23 at 7 PM, with a press preview on May 22 at 11 AM.

– Lars Fredrikson was a French-Swedish artist who, since the 1960s, worked in southern France. He was a pioneer at the forefront of technology-based art: he modified fax machines and synthesizers, experimented with sound, image waves, and electromechanical works. His practice is multifaceted yet consistent, where the surface—be it canvas, paper, or metal—is always a space for spatial exploration. This is the artist’s second major posthumous presentation following the exhibition at MAMAC (Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art) in Nice in 2019. We are proud to introduce Lars Fredrikson and shed light on an artistic practice that remains largely unknown today. For us, it’s about expanding the art world, says Mats Stjernstedt, Director of Malmö Konsthall.

Opening of the exhibition Espaces virtuels by Lars Fredrikson, Foundation Maeght, Saint-Paul-de-Vence 1972 Courtesy Lars Fredrikson Estate & Galerie In Situ – fabienne leclerc, Paris

Lars Fredrikson was born in Stockholm and moved to France in 1960. His work was deeply influenced by the spirit of the time, encompassing early experiments with electronics and television. He was particularly interested in our perception of the spatial and created new relationships between artworks and their environments. As a trained radio engineer, Fredrikson constructed pieces that captured the invisible waves and frequencies of space in various ways. His artistic practice explored the boundaries between the visible and invisible, between absence and presence, movement and sculpture. Fredrikson founded France’s first sound studio at the Villa Arson Art School in Nice, which influenced several generations of sound artists.

The first major presentation in Sweden
The exhibition at Malmö Konsthall will be the first major presentation of Lars Fredrikson in Sweden. His work was shown in 2024 at the Swedish Institute in Paris, as part of the exhibition Suivre les ondes, alongside contemporary artists Anastasia Ax and Christine Ödlund. The exhibition was curated by Sara Arrhenius, Director of the Swedish Institute.
– My curiosity was sparked by my lack of familiarity! Colleagues in France referred to his artistic practice with great respect and assumed that his work was a part of Swedish art history—which it isn’t. I had only seen very little of his work myself. When I began to explore his practice more deeply, it was amazing to see how innovative and ahead of his time Lars Fredrikson was.
That he is now finally receiving his first major presentation in Sweden is both gratifying and important—not only to discover and understand a significant artistic practice, but also to see how art history is constantly being rewritten as we uncover practices that pursued their own paths and existed outside the canon, says Sara Arrhenius.

About the exhibition
The exhibition runs from May 24 to August 24, 2025 with an opening may 23. The exhibition is realized in collaboration with Sara Arrhenius, Director of the Swedish Institute, Paris; the Lars Fredrikson Estate; Léa Dreyer, PhD candidate at the University of Paris; and Jonas (J) Magnusson, Editor-in-Chief of OEI.

Welcome to the press preview on Thursday, May 22 at 11 AM.
Present will be, among others, Mats Stjernstedt, Director of Malmö Konsthall, and Sara Arrhenius, Director of the Swedish Institute, Paris.

Please RSVP to johannes.kjellgren@malmo.se by May 19.