Stefan Umærus

Stefan Umærus has initiated, created and exhibited cross-cultural art projects since 1985, with one-man gallery and museum exhibitions in painting, poetry, diary, video, and digital formats in France, United States of America, Sweden, Venezuela, Cuba and the Dominican Republic. Selected exhibition venues: CCS, Paris, NYAS, New York, MAM, Santo Domingo.

The most well-known art project is 2388: Connecting Vocabularies, about the time just before the Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing on June 4th 1989. 2388: Connecting Vocabularies is well documented in international media, with introductions and reviews in the English, Mandarin and Spanish languages. 2388: Connecting Vocabularies is a project by Chely Depablos and Stefan Umærus, based on Stefan Umærus' poems and diary from Beijing, 1988/89. 2388: Connecting Vocabularies was exhibited at the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo, Caracas, Venezuela, 2016-17.

Read introductions to the exhibition at the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Caracas.

Other art projects: First Aid Kit about hurricane George and the Dominican Republic. First Aid Kit, or Primeros Auxilios, was created during an artist-in-residency at Escuela de Diseño, Altos de Chavón, La Romana in 1998. Painted Mountain, an art project about the Amazon. Exhibited at the Octagon Gallery, Roosevelt Island, NYC, 2013/2014.

Stefan Umærus participated in Embrace!, 2011 at the House of Emigrants, Växjö, Sweden. Embrace! is an exhibition about migration. The House of Emigrants won the 2012 competition as "Best Museum in Sweden", 2012. Corona Borealis, painted for Embrace! was purchased by the City of Växjö.

Born in Uppsala, Sweden, and educated at the Royal College of Fine Arts, KKH, Konsthögskolan, Stockholm, Stefan Umærus is represented with works in the collections of the Moderna Muséet and of the National Museum, Stockholm, and in a significant number of other private and museum collections. A dual citizen, Stefan Umærus is based in New York City.

Read more about art projects and exhibitions by Stefan Umærus online: http://stefanumærus.com, http://connectingvocabularies.com.

     

Selected art projects by Stefan Umærus:

Painted Mountain
Art project about the Amazon and one of most ancient geological formations on planet Earth, the tepuis, or table mountains, in southern Venezuela.

2388: Connecting Vocabularies
An art project about Beijing, China and the time just before the Tiananmen Square massacre on June 4th, 1989. Based on Stefan Umærus personal experience as a language student in Beijing, 1988-1989. 2388: Connecting Vocabularies is an art project by Chely Depablos and Stefan Umærus.

First Aid Kit
Paintings and diary in digital format about Hurricane George and the Dominican Republic. Created during an Artist-in-Residency at Escuela de Diseño, Altos de Chavón, La Romana, Dominican Republic, 1998.

The Anatomic Theatre/ The World
The four paintings in the series The Anatomic Theatre/ The World, were originally created as a proposal for a global pavilion for the 50th anniversary of the United Nations in New York.

Curriculum Vitæ

Stefan Umærus
Lives and works in New York City. Born 1951, Uppsala, Sweden.

One-man exhibitions:

2016 Museo de Arte Contemporáneo, Caracas, Venezuela
2013 Octagon Gallery, The Octagon, Roosevelt Island, New York.
2000 Museo De Arte Moderno, Santo Domingo, Repùblica Dominicana.
2000 Casa Simón Bolívar, La Habana, Cuba.
1998 Brauer Museum of Art, Valparaiso University, Indiana.
1992 The New York Academy of Sciences, New York.
1991 CDP, New York
1991 Galleri Westlund, Stockholm.
1990 Galeria Astrid Paredes, Caracas.
1988 Galleri Bengt Adlers, Malmö.
1987 Centre Culturel Suédois, Paris.
1987 Galleri Engström, Stockholm.
1985 Galleri Engström, Stockholm.
1980 Galleri Engström, Stockholm.

Represented in the collections of:

Casa Simón Bolívar, La Habana, Cuba
Museo De Arte Moderno, Santo Domingo, Repéblica Dominicana
Altos de Chavón, La Romana, Repéblica Dominicana
Brauer Museum of Art, Indiana, USA
Moderna Muséet, Stockholm, Sweden
National Museum, Stockholm, Sweden
Västerås Konstmuseum, Sweden
Malmö Museum, Sweden


Art projects, exhibition history:

Painted Mountain - Cerro Pintado
Exhibition history: Octagon Gallery, RIVAA, Roosevelt Island, New York.

First Aid Kit - Primeros Auxilios
Exhibition history: La Galería Altos de Chavón, Museo de Arte Moderno, Santo Domingo, Casa Simón Bolívar, La Habana.

The Anatomic Theatre/ The World
Exhibition history: Museo de Arte Moderno, Santo Domingo, Besharat Gallery, Atlanta.

2388: Connecting Vocabularies - 2388: Conectando Vocabularios
Exhibition history: CDP, New York, New York Academy of Sciences, New York, Galleri Westlund, Stockholm, Brauer Museum of Art, Indiana, Museo de Arte Moderno, Santo Domingo. Museo de Arte Contemporáneo, Caracas, Venezuela.

Epsilon Lyræ
Exhibition history: Galleri Engström, Stockholm, Centre Culturel Suédois, Paris, Galleri Bengt Adlers, Malmö.

AION
Exhibition history: Norrköpings Konstmuseum, Sandvikens Konsthall, Eskilstuna Konstmuseum.

Events and group exhibitions:

2014 United Nations' Ambassador's Ball, The Harvard Club of New York, USA.

2011 Embrace! The House of Emigrants, Véxjö, Sweden.

2010 - 2014 Besharat Gallery, The Peters Street Project, Atlanta, Georgia.

2009 AYUDA for the Arts 5th annual gala, Prince George Ballroom, New York. USA.

2004 Nordic Expo 2004, New York.

2001 Water Is Life, Benefit auction for Mocambique, Wetterling Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden.

1998 Artistas en Residencia, Otoño'98, Altos de Chavón, La Romana, Repéblica Dominicana.

1996 The Power of Prints, New Formats, Hostos Center for Arts & Culture, Bronx, New York.

1995 Identity & Illusion, A Tribute to Ingmar Bergman, Nordanstad Gallery, New York.

1995 Swedish Artists, Roger Smith Gallery, New York .

1990 Eyewitnesses, China, June 4th, 1989, Asian American Arts Centre, New York.

1986 Abstractions, Västerås Konstmuseum,

1985 Getting Off, Civilian Warfare Gallery, New York.

1985 A subjective choice of contemporary Swedish and American Art, Vésterås Konstmuseum.

Artist In Residencies, Lectures and Panel discussions:

2000 Museo De Arte Moderno, Santo Domingo, Repéblica Dominicana,

1998 Altos de Chavón, La Romana, Repéblica Dominicana.

1998 2388: Connecting Vocabularies, Brauer Museum of Art, Indiana, U.S.A.

1997 National and International, Views from Abroad, the Art Students
League of New York, U.S.A.


Education:

M.F.A. Konsthögskolan, KKH, Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Stockholm, 1973-79.

Selected Bibliography:

2016 "Stefan Umærus expone en el MAC al dolor convertido en poesía liberadora" NotiTimes, June 16, 2016. Caracas, Venezuela.

.2013 "Artista Sueco se inspiró en las Amazonas", Impacto! Dec 10, 2013, Miriam Fernandez-Soberon, New York, USA.

2000 Documentos Para La Vida Péblica 2000”, Ultima Hora, May 27, 2000, Santo
Domingo, Repéblica Dominicana, Clara Silvestre.

2000 Documentos Para La Vida Péblica 2000”, Hoy, May 28, 2000, Santo 
Domingo, Republica Dominicana, Amable Lopéz Meléndez.

2000 “La Palabra y La Imagen en la Obra de Stefan Umærus”, La Nación,  Santo Domingo,Republica Dominicana, Hyden Carron

1996 “A Print Show by 12 Workshop Members”, New York Times, July 7, 1996, New York, U.S.A., Vivien Raynor .

1992 “Encuentro con el pasado, y celebracion del futuro”, El Universal, June 14,1992,
Caracas, Venezuela, Pablo García Gámez.

1992 “2388: Connecting Vocabularies”, The Sciences, May, June 1992, New York,
United States of America, Madelaine Netter.

1991 ”Chinese Apocalypse”, Paletten #3, November 1991, Stockholm, Sweden, Annie Markovich.

1990 “Testimoniar el transito”, El Universal, June 29, 1990, Caracas,
Venezuela, Maritza Jimenez.

1989 “2388 /Stefan Umærus”, Foreign Literatures 3, July, 1989, Beijing, China, Liu Bin.

1988 “Artist turned Archæologist”, Sydsvenska Dagbladet Snéllposten, March 5, 1988,
Malmö, Sweden, Marika Wachtmeister.

1987 “Floating Signs and Deep Holes”, Dagens Nyheter, March 21, 1987,
Stockholm, Sweden, Peder Alton

1985 “Between Eons”, Dagens Nyheter, February 29, 1985, Stockholm, Sweden, Ingela Lind.

1982 “Maximum Force”, Norrköpings Tidningar, April 5, 1982, Norrköping,
Sweden, Bo Borg .

1982 “Stefan Umærus”, Paletten #3/82, November, 1982, Stockholm,
Sweden, Thomas Millroth.

1982 “Modernism Reused”, Dagens Nyheter, January 23, 1982, Stockholm,
Sweden, Torsten Ekbom.

1982 “A New Generation”, Svenska Dagbladet, January 23, 1982, Stockholm,
Sweden, Lars Nittve.

Television:

2006 “Focus Talk”, a conversation with Lin Xiaoxu, broadcast via satellite over
Asia by New Tang Dynasty Television, NTDTV.