Maria Friberg (born 16 May 1966) is a Swedish artist[1] known for her works revolving around themes of power, masculinity and man's relationship to nature. Her images depict ambiguous tableaus with isolated figures in provocative situations.[2] [3]
Friberg was born in Malmö, Sweden, to Monika Friberg and Roland Hylen. She has a sister, Lina Friberg. She was raised mainly by her mother, a hairdresser and potter, with help from her grandparents, in the south of Sweden.
Friberg studied art history at Gothenburg University in 1986. She then attended Bild & Form, Lunnevad, Sweden in 1987, Nordic Art School, Kokkola, Finland in 1988, Royal University College of Fine Arts, Stockholm from 1989 to 1995; with a break in 1992 to Icelandic College of Art and Crafts (now part of Iceland University of the Arts) in Reykjavik.[4]
Friberg's earliest work was featured in a group exhibition titled Invasion in Millesgården, Stockholm in 1993. For the next several years, Friberg continued to participate in group exhibitions and a few solo exhibitions, mainly in Stockholm. Her first solo exhibition was in 1994, and she received her first public commission in 1996.
The art film "Driven" (1998) was co-created by Friberg with Monika Larsen Dennis, and features two bodies in a dance of both attraction and repulsion.[5] [6]
After more than a dozen solo exhibitions in the 2000s, Friberg's work has more recently incorporated painting, photography,[7] and videography.[8] Her work has been sold in many countries and exhibited in the U.K., France, and the U.S.[9] [10] [11] She has participated in hundreds of group exhibitions, and continues to hold solo exhibitions, including six in 2014. Friberg has also done three performances, in 1996, 1997, and 2001, and a number of public commissions.
Friberg's work has also illustrated books and other publications.[12]
Friberg names John Erik Franzen and Ann Edholm as her primary influences.