Paul Fägerskiöld (b. 1982) lives and works in Stockholm. In Fägerskiöld’s tactile imagery, the painting surface is emphasized with such passion that not only does it provide an image of nature, it almost gives the impression of being nature: seascapes or landscapes half-embedded in the material, like a world in the process of being created. In terms of painting, the surface becomes fractural, resembling the texture of the earth. Fägerskiöld does not paint specific nature – his paintings are nature as behavior. No color is just one color. There is always a shadow and nuances. Its materiality and texture are always active, never just monochrome or flat. That is the true nature of painting.

In his recent work, the compositions appear abstract, without an end or a beginning, yet the titles are quite accurate locations across the globe. Using the computer software ‘Starry Night’, Fägerskiöld constructs his views of the cosmos. The program calculates views from any location on Earth and nearby galaxies at any date for thousands of years in the past, present, and future. Through simple means, the paintings suggest perspectives, making them readable as encapsulated spacescapes. But when we scrutinize them up close, their seemingly uniform surfaces reveal the countless layers of colors underneath. It is, after all, the absence of light that makes the universe appear infinitely dark.

Gale Crater is one of the most likely locations for a potential settlement on Mars in the future.