Alexander Tallén works with porcelain figurines combining art historical tableaux and motifs of contemporary endeavours. The contrast between the historical medium and the contemporary content effectively displays universal human pursuits, executed with an impressive level of detail and precision.
In Running Towards Nothing Tallén continues to explore the futile attempts of human nature. The everyday circumstances of our time have influenced the artist’s new project, centring around introspection and escapism through playful acts. In the new works, Tallén moves away from the self-portrait of the contemporary young man and towards more caricaturistic features in his motifs.
The frozen moment is recurring in Tallén’s work; in one of the sculptures a seated man is resting or contemplating next to a trash can and a pile of boxes. The pose of pause in a world filled with chores gives room for afterthought and put emphasis on a recurring theme for the artist – the search for meaning in our contemporary life. The everyday act of walking the dog is presented side by side with tableaux of a forest tree house or other reminiscences of play. The narrative is always present in Tallén’s work, be it in the portrayed activities like an intimate boxing match or in the small facial expression of the depicted characters going about their business.
Alexander Tallén (b. 1988) is based in Stockholm and has an MFA from the University of Arts, Crafts and Design, Stockholm (2015). Exhibitions include Höganäs Museum, the Thiel Gallery, Stockholm, Gothenburg Museum of Art, Eskilstuna Art Museum, Skövde Art Museum, Rian Designmuseum, Falkenberg and Vida Museum & Konsthall, Borgholm. He was awarded the Young Applied Artists Scholarship, Bengt Julin Fund, administered by the Friends of National Museum of Fine Arts in 2019. Tallén is represented in the collections of the National Museum of Fine Arts, Gothenburg Museum of Art, Malmö Art Museum, Borås Art Museum, Uppsala Art Museum, Röhsska Museum of Design and Craft, Eskilstuna Art Museum and Public Art Agency Sweden.
