Maria Friberg (born 16 May 1966) is a Swedish artist known for her works revolving around themes of power, masculinity and man's relationship to nature. Her images depict ambiguous tableaus with isolated figures in provocative situations.

Early life and education

Friberg was born in

Malmö Malmö (, ; da, Malmø ) is the largest city in the Swedish county (län) of Scania (Skåne). It is the third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the sixth-largest city in the Nordic region, with a municipal populat ...

, Sweden, to Monika Friberg and Roland Hylen. She has a sister, Lina Friberg. She was raised mainly by her mother, a hairdresser and potter, with help from her grandparents, in the south of Sweden. Friberg studied art history at

Gothenburg University The University of Gothenburg ( sv, Göteborgs universitet) is a university in Sweden's second largest city, Gothenburg. Founded in 1891, the university is the third-oldest of the current Swedish universities and with 37,000 students and 6000 s ...

in 1986. She then attended Bild & Form, Lunnevad, Sweden in 1987, Nordic Art School, Kokkola, Finland in 1988, Royal University College of Fine Arts, Stockholm from 1989 to 1995; with a break in 1992 to () (now part of

Iceland University of the Arts History Iceland University of the Arts ( is, Listaháskóli Íslands ) is an Icelandic institution of higher art education, located in Reykjavík, which offers the only university-level degrees in the arts in Iceland.Lisa Z. ValdimarsdottirIcel ...

) in Reykjavik.

Career

Friberg's earliest work was featured in a group exhibition titled ''Invasion'' in

Millesgården Millesgården is an art museum and sculpture garden, located on the island of Lidingö in Stockholm, Sweden. It is located in the grounds of the former home of sculptor Carl Milles (1875–1955) and his wife, the artist Olga Milles (1874–1967). ...

, Stockholm in 1993. For the next several years, Friberg continued to participate in group exhibitions and a few solo exhibitions, mainly in Stockholm. Her first solo exhibition was in 1994, and she received her first public commission in 1996. The art film "Driven" (1998) was co-created by Friberg with

Monika Larsen Dennis Monika Larsen Dennis (born 1963) is a Swedish contemporary visual artist and sculptor, known for her public art. She has also worked in performance art, photography, and film. Early life and education Monika Larsen Dennis was born in 1963 in M ...

, and features two bodies in a dance of both attraction and repulsion. After more than a dozen solo exhibitions in the 2000s, Friberg's work has more recently incorporated painting, photography, and videography. Her work has been sold in many countries and exhibited in the U.K., France, and the U.S.Paglia, Michael
"A quartet of photo-based solos starts the season at Robischon"
''Westword'', October 31, 2013. She has participated in hundreds of group exhibitions, and continues to hold solo exhibitions, including six in 2014. Friberg has also done three performances, in 1996, 1997, and 2001, and a number of public commissions. Friberg's work has also illustrated books and other publications.

Influences

Friberg names John Erik Franzen and

Ann Edholm Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

as her primary influences.

References

External links

"Maria Friberg"
Official website
"Maria Friberg"
Profile at Artsy {{DEFAULTSORT:Friberg, Maria 1966 births Living people People from Malmö Swedish illustrators Swedish women illustrators 20th-century Swedish photographers 21st-century Swedish photographers Swedish women photographers University of Gothenburg alumni 20th-century women photographers 21st-century women photographers 20th-century Swedish women