Since 1996, when I took my exam at the Royal Art Academy in Stockholm, I have worked with painting. Since 2001 I have worked with the issues such as paint, material and the painting as an object. In order to understand painting, as in a historical perspective like in contemporary context, I have examined the dynamics between the canvas and the paint. What is the relation between them? What happens if they disconnect from each other instead of intervene? Could they accept each other as a material? I have examined the covering layers of paint in a normal sense to see if it could be seen as a protecting hine or shell.

My workprocedure is to mix the beeswax in oilpaint and then to brush it from the outer border of the canvas towards the middle with a spatula. Somewhere on the canvas there is an area left without paint - a hole, a wound or a revealed iinner sanctum. This could also be seen as a material-topography. In order of letting the paint and the canvas beeing the body of the work, it creates something like "The realism of paint". I have also examined the meaning of color nuances and thickness, and the mportance of the texture as opposed to the canvas and the frame. I have within this tried to explain the above problems and also tried to understand how it affects us when appreciating the painting as an object. During the year 2001 I started to impose figurative elements in my paintings. I wanted to experience the sensation when you barely could see the image in the painting. Just an outline of a face for example. These paintings led to further works with the figurative image that I am developing.

In my current work, I intend to explore the figurative image in other ways, more emblematic. It deals with the relationship between the figurative and the abstract . In what way can the emblem participate in a decorative environment like in all sorts of patterns? What will happen when images from different timeperiods and social environments get mixed and treated without relating to internal differences?

Another question that I want to stress is in what way the decorative aspects affects the reading of the image, if the repetition of the emblem as a pattern diffuses the understanding of the paintings figurative element. In this situation it could be interesting to make connections to other readings of imageinformation as for example the image of topography in a map, or images taken by a heat sensitive camera.

My workprocess by now is to scan my choice of image in the computer with the aid of Photoshop. Then I mani pulate the image digitaly until I reach a satisfactory result. Then I draw that image on the canvas by projection. I also work with my images on other objects than the canvas such as household goods and carpets.

Michael Schleu

BIOGRAPHY

Born 1961.
Lives and works in Stockholm, Sweden

Education

1991-1996
Royal Art Academy in Stockholm, Sweden

1989-1991
Gerlesborgsskolan in Stockholm, Sweden

Selected Exhibitions

2011
Solo exhibition Galleri Mårtensson & Persson, Stockholm

2010
Solo exhibition Galleri Nord, Örebro

2009
Solo exhibition Galleri Bergesen, Gotland

2009-2010
Group exhibition Galleri Mårtenson och Persson, Båstad

2009
Solo exhibition Galleri Axel Mörner, Stockholm

2008
Group exhibition Galleri Roger Björkholmen, Stockholm

2007
Solo exhibition Järfälla konsthall (Längtan - Avsked)
Solo exhibition Norrtälje konsthall (Längtan - Avsked)

2006
Solo exhibition Tyresö konsthall (Längtan - Avsked)
Solo exhibition Galleri Nord in Örebro
Solo exhibition at Galleri Anders Lundmark

2005
Solo exhibition Landskona Museum
Solo exhibition Galleri Remi in Östersund

2003
Solo exhibition at Gallery Konstruktiv Tendens, Stockholm.

2002-2004
Touring exhibition "With paintbrusch, canvas and mirror" arranged by The National Museum of Fine Arts, Sweden

2002
Solo exhibition at Galleri Thomassen, Gothenburg, Sweden
Solo exhibition at Gallei Nord, Örebro, Sweden
Group exhibition "Transpose" at Passagen, Linköping, Sweden

2001
Solo exhibition at Galleri C Hjärne, Hellsingborg, Sweden

2000
Solo exhibition at Galleri AxelMörner,Stockholm,Sweden

1998
Solo exhibition at Galleri Axel Mörner, Stockholm, Sweden

Selected Public Works

2008
Decoration work at Huge fastigheters main office in Stockholm

2006
Decoration work in Skärholmen, Stockholm for HSB

2002
Decoration work in Tomtberga­ Huge main office in Stockholm

1996
Wallpainting for The Verkets entré in Stockholm, Sweden

1989
Mural painting in the congregational hall of Brännkyrka Church in Stockholm

Selected Collections

Moderna Museet, Stockholm
Stockholms kommuns collection
Tyresö kommuns collection
Jämtlands läns collection
Uppsala museum of art
Göteborgs kommuns collection
Linköpings kommuns collection
The National Public Arts Council collection
Västra Götalands collection
Örebro kommuns collection
SAK collection
Apoteksbolaget collection

Grants

2004
Bildkonstnärsfonden, Two year working grant

1996
The Baertling scholarship