I am, and continue to be, a massive fan of Swedish renaissance man Patrik Söderstam’s work. He always continues to surprise me with his creativity, though these days the sporadic nature of his releases means he’s probably not swimming in time. He has had another child and works at Konstfack, so no real surprise perhaps.
Anyway, as it says on his site, he’s an artist, graphic designer, costume designer and photographer. Born and educated in Sweden, Söderstam studied at the Stockholm Cutting Academy and is currently studying Menswear Fashion at Central Saint Martins College, London. He has worked for The Royal Opera in Stockholm in the costume department and has worked with Robert Cary Williams.
Between 2000 (while still in college) and 2007, Söderstam produced his own fashion line. His work as a designer earned him the 2001 British Fashion Council Prince of Wales Trust Scholarship, the 2002 Elle Magazine Sweden ‘Talent of The Year’ award, and the Deutsche Bank Pyramid Award in 2003. He has since been expressing himself in what can be defined as ‘neo surreal’ art. Recently he exhibited ‘The Core’ at Art of Football, Basel 2008.
Well, all this to say that into my inbox recently dropped Con Vs Sura. Check out this tumblr feed for the fantastic characters, costumes, and performance art pieces that continue to keep Söderstam in my mind as one of Sweden’s most interesting creative talents.