N° 9 : SISSEL WIBOM
“The Portraitist”
Sissel, with her force of expression, her extreme sensitivity and her sharp sense of detail is our ninth portrait.
A painter and portraitist by profession and a remarkable ceramist by nature, Sissel navigates between these many skills with striking precision and rare vitality.
Sissel deliberately uses traditional means while painting, and builds portraits of an intense reality : the line is flawless, precise and refined, in a representation without embellishment and at the service of the brush.
Sissel’s paintings sometimes captures its model even more objectively than a photograph. Exploring her subjects beyond themselves, she manages to create through her paintings a singular relationship of intimacy.
As Sissel herself says:
“ When two completely unknown people walk into a room, cross the threshold, seek a moment to talk, share an instant and, cross paths, we are suddenly touched by the fact that the other exists.”
This reflection confirms what is going on between the model and the painter. An intense bond, a touching, personal and humanly vibrant intimacy. A sort of forced telescoping of two subjectivities brought together around the painting.
Sissel lives and works between Sweden and France where she carries out both public and private orders. She is represented, among others, in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture, the Royal Theater and the State Council for the Arts and in several private collections in Sweden.
What is your most outstanding character trait ?
My sense for details
What is your idea of perfect happiness ?
Watch your children laugh
What is the most extravagant thing you have ever done ?
Renting a two day old Mercedes
Which talent would you most like to have ?
To be able to write
Which living person do you most admire ?
My friend Marie-Pierre
Who are your favorite heroes/heroines in fiction ?
Ann in Grönkulla
Who are your favorite writers ?
Imre Kertesz, Jane Austen
What do you consider is your greatest achievements ?
Two commissioned portraits for the Swedish Royal Theater, Dramaten
In which imaginary country would you like to live ?
The land without borders
What do you regret the most ?
That I didn’t divorce before
Which flower would you like to be ?
A rose
Who are your favorite artists ?
Chardin, Lucien Freud and Paula Modersohn- Becker
Which bird would you like to be ?
An Albatross
What is your greatest fear ?
Being powerless
What is your most treasured possession ?
My body
What is your favorite occupation ?
Being in an artistic process. See and spend time with my daughters
What would you change if you could ?
My inability to change things I see that I should change
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be ?
/
What is your current state of mind ?
Satisfied
What is your favourite motto ?
Everyone does their best, regardless of the result
