Henrik Sjöström (El Bastardo)

Acrylic, pens and spray paint are the weapons of choice for Swedish artist Henrik Sjöström (El Bastardo) as he fights the traditional rules of painting. Using these mediums allows him to produce work that is fast, yet precise. Then, by improvising with objects that happen to be laying around, he uses these ‘tools’ to add movement to the initial layers of his paintings. Water and window cleaning liquid, for instance, help to blend his colors into one another, as he lets his brush be guided by his intuition. This offbeat technique creates the texture seen in Epic Diem and the 3D layering that comprises A Bias Indemnity. His various ideas ー inspired by current events, art, movies, music, books and mythology ー reveal themselves, layer by layer, as the viewer unpacks his paintings.

After studying art and photography in Sweden, Finland and the UK, Henrik Sjöström (El Bastardo) moved back home to Stockholm, where he now works as an artist full time. el bastardo’s paintings have sold to world-renowned composer, Kaija Saariaho, and the Finnish restaurateur, Ilja Björs.